Loom and Spinning Wheel 1

This entrance, inside a courtyard In Wiesbaden, Germany, leads to a small Afghan carpet factory and shop.... more

by Sarah Loft

Title

Loom and Spinning Wheel 1

Artist

Sarah Loft

Medium

Photograph

Description

This entrance, inside a courtyard In Wiesbaden, Germany, leads to a small Afghan carpet factory and shop.

Per Wikipedia: An Afghan rug (or Afghan carpet) is a type of handwoven floor-covering textile traditionally made in Afghanistan. Many of the Afghan rugs are also woven by Afghan refugees who reside in Pakistan. In 2008, 2013 and 2014, Afghan rug won international awards, which is held every year in Hamburg, Germany. The Afghan rugs are mostly assembled in northern and western Afghanistan, by various ethnic groups but mainly by Turkmen.

One of the most exotic and distinctive of all oriental rugs is the Shindand or Adraskan (named after local Afghan towns), woven in the Herat Province, in western Afghanistan. Strangely elongated human and animal figures are their signature look. The carpet can be sold across Afghanistan with the most based in Mazar-e Sharif.

Various vegetable, and other natural dyes are used to produce the rich colors. The rugs are mostly of medium sizes. Many patterns and colors are used, but the traditional and most typical is that of the octagonal elephant's foot (Bukhara) print, often with a red background. The weavers also produce other trappings of the nomadic lifestyle, including tent bags and ceremonial pieces.

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Featured in the Images That Excite You group, May 2018.

Uploaded

May 11th, 2018