Afghan war rug ('classic red' war rug)

The 'classic red war rug' is a stylistically intricate rug, with a complex and dense design layout, using rich red, orange and green colours. The rug is dominated by images of Soviet weaponry, especially armoured personnel carriers and helicopters, depicted in neat rows within the centre field of the rug. There are also stylised medallions and flower forms woven into the rug, so that traditional botanical and geometric forms are interwoven with images of Soviet armaments. War rugs are now produced in regional areas of north-western Pakistan and Afghanistan and were originally created in response to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. They are a cultural and personal response to war, blending commercial, traditional and contemporary elements.