Fly away on your own magic carpet!

Maymana Kilim, Afghan Tribal Arts

Handmade wool carpets and kilims are wonderful!  They are much healthier to live with than synthetic ones.  Their natural oils allows for easier cleaning and they just have so much character and depth to them.  An old one, with repairs and wear, is especially treasured by collectors and pundits.  I've often wondered what it would be like if an old carpet came to life one day and told its story.  Especially one that traveled around on a caravan....  Gabbeh, the movie, captures some of this in its story.  A young woman's longing for a young man she cannot have, she weaves her story into the rug.  Past and future are captured in the threads:

We have been working hard at getting Afghan Tribal Arts stocked on Etsy.  There is now a great selection of beads, jewelry, textiles, and finally, a few rugs.  Part of the problem is that rugs take up so much room and they are heavy.  Shipping them can be expensive.  Even though we have a good variety and number in our inventory, it's challenging to list them online.

Antique Khal Mahamadi, Afghan Tribal Arts

So, for now, we are listing a few smaller ones.  The one above, for example, is an antique, estimated to be over 100 years old.  Originally, it probably was red and brown.  There is also a newer war rug:

War Rug, Afghan Tribal Arts

War rugs became popular during the war with Russia, a way to document the story.  Now there are ones that talk about the war with the United States and about 9/11.  

To see what we have in stock on our Etsy shop, click here.   We also have many rugs, piles of them, in our Sturee Tribal Village gallery in Pendleton, South Carolina.  If you are in the neighborhood, it's worth a visit!

Piles of rugs at Sturee Tribal Village

New Textile Stamps Listed on Etsy!

Afghan Tribal Arts on Etsy

Textile production has always been one of the great commodities traded along the Silk Road.  Afghanistan's many ethnic groups all contribute to these traditions with variations in technique and design.  Workshops which print or printed their own fabrics also carved their own stamps.  Over time, they become worn with cracks and imperfections.  These cast-offs are highly valued by the textile and fiber art community in the west.  As more and more fiber artists plunge into surface design experiments, they expand their own collections of tools, such as these stamps, coming from Asia and Africa.

Focal textile stamp.

We now have a nice supply of textile stamps available in our Etsy shop:  AfghanTribalArts.  There are basically three kinds of stamps:  focals which are used as central images, fillers which fill the space around a focal and borders, used to outline a textile or focal area. 

Border Textile Stamp

Most of the designs from Afghanistan depict flowers or geometric designs as animals and people are discouraged under Islamic religious directives.  Ornate and graceful, these old stamps also make beautiful art pieces on their own.  They can sit on book shelves or by adding picture frame hangers, cluster on a wall.

Here is a beautiful video from India showing similar stamps in use:

We combine shipping on multiple purchases and give free shipping on orders over $100 in the United States.  The shop is full of treasures:  hand-carved beads, vintage tribal jewelry, embroidered textiles, and much more.  Come visit!

New Tribal Pendants Listed on Etsy!

Vintage Pashtun Silver Pendant: Carved Carnelian, Camel

Central Asian metal smiths have worked silver and other metals with exquisite artistry for centuries.  Painstakingly twisting, hammering, etching, soldering and finally, building finished pieces that remain in families for generations.  You will find examples of many different traditions that originate in this area at Sturee Tribal Village.  We also just listed about 30 new pendants in our Etsy shop, Afghan Tribal Arts.

Kazakh Vintage Pendant: Filigree over Glass.

Vintage Kuchi Silver Pendant: Seed Beads and Glass

Vintage Turkman Pendant: Gold Leaf and Black Onyx

These pendants are wonderful accent pieces.  Large, bold, and eye catching they finish off a simple outfit beautifully.  Visit our Etsy shop or Sturee Tribal Village for more wonderful treasures from Afghanistan and the region.