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Photo: britishmuseum.orgThe British Museum is putting on a small display that examines how Afghani carpet weavers have recorded the country's turbulent history through the images on their rugs.
Photo: britishmuseum.orgSituated between Asia and the Middle East, the strategically important territory of Afghanistan has been fought over for centuries. In December 1979 it was invaded by Soviet troops and utterly transformed by ten years of conflict. Afghan weavers responded by fusing their traditional crafts with military history, creating a brand-new art form: Afghan war rugs.
Photo: britishmuseum.orgIn the past different tribal groups had always used their own styles and motifs to decorate their rugs, but as the population was driven into refugee camps these distinctions slowly began to disappear, to be replaced by images of grenades, bombs and drones. Demons would be shown fighting alongside tanks, birds became military helicopters, and flowers morphed into guns.
Photo: britishmuseum.orgAt first these rugs were only known by military personnel, and the journalists and humanitarian staff working in the region, but they are now recognised as an art form in their own right and exhibited worldwide.
The display offers a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflict, and includes some typical tools of the trade, alongside some mosaic fragments and a medal and chapan cloak once worn by president Hamid Karzai.
How to get to the British Museum
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| Single fare | Single fare | Daily cap | One day | ||||
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| Train (zone 1-6) | £7 | £5.80* | £3.80* | £16.30 | £16.30 | ||
| * Journeys between zone 1 and Heathrow are always charged at the peak rate. Prices are correct as of | |||||||
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