These rugs are for sale, and arranged in RANDom order.

Please click a war rug's picture, title, or number for details.

High Quality Green Border War Rug
$3,499
This rug is remarkable for its fine quality. This rug exemplifies the best of weaving from western Afghanistan: soft, lustrous wool, lovely sheen, dark colors.
Strong design. Note the superb luster of this rugs wool. Design alternates between rows of two tanks with text inside and three large ewers. Throughout the negative space sit grenades and small flowers, and the whole field is surrounded by an open guard stripe of linked flowers and leaves.
The border consists of tanks, rifles, and helicopters on a green background. The mustard yellow and bright orange accents pop off of the olive green and navy blues.
The rug was acquired by Warrug in 2003, and was first offered for sale in 2016. 		1066
$2250

Amanullah Khan War Rug with Orange Jacket
A red, brown, and light orange rug with unique turqouise accents depicting the Afghan king Amanullah Khan who ruled from 1919 - 1929. He poses in orange military garb flanked by potted flowers, text, and other symbols.
He is bordered by a chain of turquoise and red flowers on a light orange background, which is then bordered by blue and brown patterns with a thick red background. 		1615
$2500

1950's Aman Ullah Khan Rug with Falcons
This is an older Aman Ullah Khan rug, the figure is extremely well proportioned relative to the newer versions of this style. His face has a gentle expression and his shoes are extremely shiny. A bright orange streak traces the side of his head. Text appears in the upper corners.
Around 2000 Warrug acquired an entire collection of Amman Ullah Khan rugs from Afghanistan of which this rug was a high point, despite its condition. The classic Mushwani colors and border are indicative of the tribe who wove the rug.

Notably there are two large falcons at the bottom of the rug. "The Sport of Kings", falconry is a fitting thing to depict on such a rug. Marled blues appear next to the birds' feet.
Unfortunately there have been some repairs to the rug, mostly in the top near and in the figure's face.

The combination of the honored king with the falcons is highly unusual in either political portrait rugs, King rugs/a>, or Amman Ullah Khan (AUK) rugs. 		1141
$950

Clock Tower with Helicopters 1 War Rug
This is a new design in the past few years. Nigel Lendon, Max Allen and Kevin Sudeith have debated the monument shown. Sudeith maintains that it is a recently built monument built in a traffic circle in Herat, Afghanistan. Several rugs in our most recent shipment show this monument from several angles. This rug, and one similar example (link), are the best. The helicopters in the top right corner are unique to these two carpets. The helicopters ad excellent scale to whole rug. The emerald green in the cars in the foreground unusual material and doesn't feel like wool. The same material is marled into the first green and tan line on the top edge of the foreground roadway. The variety of marled colors give depth to pictorial space in this landscape rug. The geometric renderings of buildings is particular to these pictorial rugs from western Afghanistan.


Simply put, this rug (and its mate) are the best contemporary war rugs. This rug is great design with timely imagery.

For more information on pictorial war rugs please order Kevin Sudeith's book on the subject.		1484
$699

Bulbous Grey APC Red Rug
Rug #1813 is in new condition. This rug's drawing is charming with the bulbous armored personnel carriers. The red field with ochre, burgundy, and grey accents works beautifully. The bullet - border hints at Afghan figures in local dress and caps. The small rifles are drawn in a style typical of Baluchi rugs from the 1980's and not typically found in Red Rugs		1813
$850

Very Early Afghanistan as Grenade with Pin Pulled
This is an early example of this important design, but it has several areas of repaired damage.

A very interesting view of possibly the Kabul airport and the surrounding cityscape. In the center of the rug is a curiously grenade-like shape, almost like a grenade with its pin pulled. Planes and helicopters sit around the center on a blue background, and the top and bottom thirds of the rug depict an almost mirrored view of the surrounding town. The border includes some possibly Greek-inspired blue, olive, and white designs.
A few spots on this rug have been repaired-- one area in the bottom center, and another in the very center of the rug.		917
$575

Old Baghlani War Rug with Three Small Borders
Baghlani rugs, Turkmen rugs from north eastern Afghanistan originated in the late 1980's and were woven through the mid 1990's. Generally, Baghlani rugs are long and narrow, so this rugs squarish proportions are unusual.

The colors in this rug are very rich and uniform. Rows of maroon, orange, and tan jets and tanks run down the rug, filled in with smaller motifs such as rifles and flowers. The border is made up of multiple geometric guard stripes. This color scheme, and the Rows of Weapons design are emblematic of the Baghlani type. 		1063
$3750

Original, 2002, War On Terror War Rug #1368
Rugs of the same style, Afghan Kazak, were proposed as official gifts from US government. A variety of new and unique imagery is present on this rug; man on an ATV, predator drones, and the labeled jets and helicopters are all striking and detailed.
The unity of the Afghans and the US is symbolized by the crossed AK-47 and the M-16 (both weapon types noted on stock).
Similar to this rug.		1368
$2500

War Rug with Pomegranates, Vases of Flowers, and Poetry
This blue war rug features orange tanks with bright green guns containing Farsi script, "TANK". Below the tanks reads perhaps some poetry. On the top and bottom edges of the rug sit tables with text inside, on top of which sit two ewers and vases with flowers (symbolizing fertility and abundance?). On either side of the table sit potted pomegranate plants with multicolored fruit hanging from the branches (symbolizing eternal life?). The negative space is filled with small medallions and red helicopters.
Green, red, and yellow tanks interspersed with rifles and small sections of text make up the border.
This rug features more natural colors than other similar rugs, however still remains bright and hasn't been bleached. The bright green accents pop against the blue background.		961
$2750

Wheeled Helicopters War Rug
$4,500
This rug was purchased by Warrug in the late 1990's. It has a nice, even pile. Its color palette is earthy, and the green has faded to olive. Pile has medium oxidation of color. The rug's age gives it an allover tip fading which attractively softens color. There is a quarter inch hole on the bottom border (see pictures). The main field motifs use a two color alternating knot coloration in a checkered pattern. A red knot has a green knot on either side and above and below. This technique softens overall coloration nicely. The field color is a very dark Prussian blue. The cream colored outlines unify the design.		93
$2250

Dated (1994) Afghan Map War Rug
http://www.iconophilia.net/the-afghan-modern-rkd/ https://rugsofwar.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/the-afghan-modern-its-anonymous-authors-and-the-question-of-collective-agency/ This is a beautiful Afghan Map rug featuring the different labeled provinces of Afghanistan with bright colors. Two potted plants sit above and below the map and collections of brown and tan flowers are scattered throughout the negative space. Small planes sit inside some of the provinces, solidifying this as a war rug. 		1121
$1950

Small Red War Rug with Blue Selvedge
This classic war rug features an assortment of bright colors and is characterized by its bright cobalt blue selvedge. The bright pinks and greens pop from the red field.

The drawing of the armaments and the composition are indicative of the high point of Red Rugs in the mid 1990's woven in Pakistan by Afghan refugees.
Please see photos for places where moths have eaten distinct colors in places. 		1125
$269

Rows of Small Weapons White Grenade War Rug
The latest and best photos are at the bottom.
This is a very textural rug. There is little negative space, rows of tanks, grenades, rifles, and small animals fill most of the space all the way up to the thin zig-zag border.
The bright white used in the grenades and rifles makes them pop from the otherwise dark colors of the rug. About 1/6 of the way up the rug, the background shifts from blue to a very dark navy, almost black.		1398
$1750

War Rug with Russian Soldiers

Price on request
A pair with rug 1656.
Excellent rug, Russian figures are present throughout the rug alongside tanks, jets, helicopters, and weapons in the field as well as the border. Bright saturated colors on a dark rich blue field, the guard stripes are made of interlocking geometric brown, green, and red shapes separated from the main borders by white 'sawtooth' patterns. The kilim has an interesting blue pattern.
2117
$4750

Six Portraits of Amman Ullah Khan
This carpet was in excellent new condition, but it now has areas where leather juice has gottne stuck to the rug. Needs to be washed.
This rug features a classic Mushwani border and colors. /the repeating Amman Ullah Khan design is reminiscent of Persian Baluchi designs. 		1381
$1250

Buff Field Flower Medallion Helicopter War Rug
This rug is subtle and fascinating. The colors are understated while the pattern keeps your eyes moving across the entire piece. The border is classic and solid, yet the center imagery is a bit more unusual and frenetic. The simple helicopters are common to this style of rug. What is unusual are the little planes sprinkled between the choppers and mandala-like floral designs. The rugs shape is imperfect, with one end wider than the other. 		1525
$1999

Poppy Design Ali Kwaja with Airplane Guard Stripes
Price on request
Ali Kwaja rugs are the best, and this is example is one of the best Ali Kwaja rugs. Ali Kwaja means roughly, gentleman. These rugs are extremely finely knotted: this rug has more than 160 knots per inch. The pile is very short, and the handle is very floppy. The wool is soft with a waxy handle and sheen.

Extensive research suggests Ali Kwaja rugs are Beshir Turkmen. Supposedly, they moved across the border into Afghanistan after the Bolshevik revolution consumed the USSR.

In the middle of the rug there are a couple of pea size areas where the pile has been damaged. The structure is intact, and damage is not readily noticeable.

The field may look black, but it is actually a very dark and beautiful indigo blue

Possibly, this rug was intended as a prayer rug, for notice the top two panels are separated from the lower panels by a white border stripe. The lower two panels are separated by a airplane border.

Pomegranites are a classic image in Afghan rugs. In pre-Islamic Persia and Afghanistan, pomegranate represented the soul to Zoroastrians. The Quran says pomegranates will be found in Paradise. 		1812
$7500

Fine Ali Kwaja Vase of Flowers Rug
This is a very fine high quality rug. The pile is super short as is typical with this style. The design is separate into 6 repeating motifs by thin lines, with the top two versions of the motif abruptly cut off by the top of the rug. The motifs contain large vases sprouting plants with four smaller bases beside them.
The border consists of smaller stripes, the largest is formed from detailed drawings of helicopters on a red background, the others are a variety of geometric designs. (soda) 		802
$0

2004 Large Iraq Rug (Exhibition #26)
Iraq Rug Large, perfect new condition. Thick soft pile. Note misspelling in ""Welcome""		1363
$1799

Six Abstract Horseback Riders Afghan War Rgu
(Also marked with tag 1631) This horseman rug is a great contrast to rug 2017 and shows the evolution of pattern from detailed and realistic to simplified and abstracted. The horses are headless and the figures riding them look more like cricket bats. The other animals are as abstracted, the deer have lizard-like spiked backs and teeth, and the goats and other animals stand alert with their tails stiff. 		495
$1099

Ahmad Shah Ma'sud Praying Rug
Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Ma'sud is depicted praying in the center of this rug on a dark field. The blue in his clothing is marled with white, while the orangey red in his face is made with alternating checkered knots.
Small medallions float to the right of his head. A pattern of red and blue planes creates a textural line at the top and bottom of the composition. 		2043
$1500

White Field War Rug with Fighter Jets (hole in back see pics)
This rug is an iteration of an earlier pattern and features some unique color combinations: Bright orange with lime green mark the borders with maroon, purple, red, turquoise, and blues create the pattern in the field. The colors are all rich and vivid. 5 alternating columns of jet fighters and unknown geometric shapes make up the field.
Small hole in top left.
This rug was purchased by Warrug, apparently straight off the loom in 2009 and first offered for sale in April 2021. 		2108
$575

Drone Medallion on Sky Blue Field
In 2020 two piece of this design were woven. This example has uses darker colors, with a dark blue background, and a darker blue inside the medallion. Each rug uses a buff color for one quadrant of the medallion, and half the drone and the medallion background are the same color.

All the colors are very rich. The rug is heavy from the dense, high quality wool.

Condition is new and perfect.

This rug seems to be a riff on antique (and contemporary) Turkmen designs known by the name of the 19th century town where tribal and workshop rugs were consolidated, Bokara, or Bukhara. Warrug doesn't traffic in antiques, but the rug in this link is an example of an Ersari Turkment rug 		1689
$3500

Progenitor Baghlani War Rug with Autumnal Color
Exhibited
Price on Request
This is the most unusual Baghlani rug. It has the design and proportions of a Baghlani rug, but the structure is unique. The structure is more similar to an Iranian Turkmen rug than most of the Baghlani rugs which have more typical Baluchi standards.
The colors are most limited but beautiful palette: rust, rust tan, tan, brown grey, blue and black. The rust, tan, and brown green are undyed wool. The background color is a very deep indigo. Also there are touches of a lighter blue (albeit still very dark) in some of the machine guns which make a very nice accent.
The rug has some areas of low pile on the bottom fifth, and particularly the lower left corner. Please, see photos. 		985
$8500

Crowned King with "Punk" Lion Q'ashqa'i rug.
This rug features a detailed lion with two king-like figure busts above and below. Medallions sit in the green spandrels as well as throughout the red field. The lion is colored naturally, except for the blue tuft on the end of his tail.
The border contains small multicolored flower shapes.

This is another example of a rug from Warrug's collected rugs being offered for sale for the first time in late 2021. This rug gives context to Afghan political portrait rugs, Amman Ullah Khan (AUK) rugs, and our favorite, Lion Rugs.		1116
$1250

Burgundy Red Afghan Rug with Planes
1692
$850

Spare Afghan Map Rug with Herati Border (Exhibition History)
The red field in this rug is uncommonly spare. This rug has one very rare feature. Two blue beads are sewn into the selvedges: on the left hand selvedge, about half way between top and bottom, and on the right selvedge about one foot from top. The border is very traditional and a type not often found on Afghan province map rugs. There are no war motifs in this rug.		1492
$475

Red rug with numbered tanks/helicopters and 5 square pattern
This rug is in new condition. Red Rugs were woven in Pakistan during the 1990s until the international community forced the Taliban out of Afghanistan in 2001. The weavers of these rugs were Afghan refugees who returned to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. The Red rugs currently available have been sitting in warehouses since they were woven in the 1990's so their condition is excellent and like new.
This is an unusual example of a red rug. The handle is different, and the border is atypical. Also unusual are the white outlines around the armored personeel carriers. The numbers and script throughout the field is seen is some Red Rugs, but mostly rugs from the early 1990s. The bullet in the AK magazine are a nice touch.
The four images that look like daggers at either end of the green helicopters are actually a trip wire triggered anti-personnell land mines. 		1555
$1575

15 Tank War Rug
This rug features rows of 15 multicolored tanks with small rifles, and small plant motifs between them. The three tanks at the top of the rug are partially cut off and only show the bottoms of the tracks. There are some really nice colors in this rug including some bright greens, electric bues, and reds.
Similar diagonally shaped multicolored border design to this fine rug. 		794
$1250

AK-74 and Rocket Launchers
This is a second generation AK74 Red Rug. The first ones were woven in the mid 1990's and they were a small sub-group of the red rugs. 		1518
$1499

WTC Afghan Rug with crosses where planes hit.
1138
$1500

Rows of Weapons War Rug with
Most recent, and best, photos are at the bottom of the page

Rows of bright green, red, and brown tanks, jets, and rifles run through this rug creating an interesting geometric pattern on a rich blue background. Super shiny and soft, the wool is very high quality. 		915
$1750

Washed Pixelated Weapons War Rug
The figures and motifs are pixelated and stylized. The different rows of weapons are separated by jagged lines. The border is made up of alternating tanks, rifles, and helicopters. The flowery guard stripe on the left side of the rug appears to be stretched compared to the stripe on the right.

This earthy rug appears to have been washed in a special dark wash. 		1623
$3259

Large Scale Bokara Drone War Rug
This is one of two rugs seen by warrug.com which employ a classic Bokara or Elephants Foot design (like this antique non-war rug), but rather than traditional tribal emblems this rug uses a major and minor guls made from drones.

The other rug of this design is herethis drone configuration is seen in this rug and this similar similar this rug

The condition is new and excellent. 		1806
$4375

Early Rug with AK47
This is an example of a 1980's rug featuring AK74. The cutaway APC's and helicopters showing the seating inside is classic for the type, and it influenced other rugs.

This rug was woven at a refugee camp, probably in Pakistan, but since I first discovered war rugs, it has been argued these rugs were woven by refugees in Iran.

This rug was bought second hand, and it is a little dusty, but he condition is very good. 		1675
$1250

Classic and Vintage Ten Tank War Rug
This blue and orange ten tank (it actually has 12 tanks) war rug has an orangey hue to it, especially in the field. The border consists of five thinner borders alternating between brown wave-shapes and chains of brown and orange flowers.
Similar to this rug but more standard quality.		1136
$975

Two Panel Land Mine War Rug (Like Pictorial Book Plate 20)
This rug was purchased in new condition of probably contemporary productionin 2002. The two panel representational shows abstracted trucks, trees, buildings, and landmines. This land mine rug, reproduced in Sudeith's Pictorial War Rugs book is from the same production and era but less abstracted. Six trucks drive across the compostion on a blue road. A cutaway shows an underground view of the road above containing abstracted land mines. On the botoom, five trucks drive across this road, with a blue tree between each. Six buildings sit in the background on a red field.
The main border is a red, blue, and maroon pattern of alternating pound symbols, triangles, and diagonal shapes on an off-white field. The guard stripes are a black and red alternating diagonal cord-like pattern flank the main border.
Check out the similarities with this rug.
471
$975

Blue Golden Border War Rug
Paired with 974 and has very similar closures and selvedge on the fringe. Has some small areas of darkened dry ice discoloration. Detailed depictions of tanks and helicopters in both the border and the field. The multi-colored zigzag in the fringe is very interesting. 		986
$0

Exceptional Diamond Herati Rug
Price on Request
A very high quality richly-colored blue Herati rug packed with various geometric shapes in red, green orange, blue, maroon, and tan which radiate outward from the large orange-outlined medallion in the center. Hidden amongst the patterns, both inside and outside the lozenge, are several depictions of rifles. In each corner of the field are smaller shapes, reminiscent of the medallion in the center.
There are four layers of guard stripes in various geometric patterns with the largest of the main borders comprised of a line of cross-shapes bordered with red wave-like imagery.
893
$

Antique Daghestani Prayer Rug
The rug has a special quality. The figure, represented by the pattern inside the mihrab, is the same as the ground, represented by the pattern outside the mihrab. This suggests the human and the world are made of the same worldly stuff, but the prayers emanating from the head of the figure change the world and break down the lattice pattern found inside and outside the figure. Basically, prayer is the difference, and prayer transforms the world.

Antique rugs are not the speciality of Warrug.com, but this rug is in good condition given its age. There are some issues documented in the photos: low pile, wear to the foundation, oxidation of the dark browns (typical for a rug of this era), minor bleeding of bright yellow (see photos of back), selvedge damage and repair, end finish repair.

The rug is clean. There is no bleeding around the red, and when blotted with a wet, white cloth, no red appears on white. 		2122
$3500

Thick Pile Bomber - Helicopter - Tank War Rug
This rich blue rug features gold and green bombers and tanks-- the bombers are flying 'down' the rug. Flowers and small plant-like shapes fill the negative space. Bombers also compose the border of the rug, all facing downwards. 		2021
$3750

Vine Border Afghan Province Rug with Blue Field (Exh.#26)
Afghan province map rug showing some roads. Dated clearly 1385 which is 2007 in western calendar.		1470
$375

Baluchi Runner War Rug (Pair 2/2)
This rug is one of a pair of rugs which match in design and proportions. Both arrived at one time around 2003. Rug #1310 and
Rug #1061

The better photos, taken in 2016, are at the bottom. This earthy rug features rows of helicopters, tanks, and branches of flowers. The border is made up of rows of flowers and connected geometric shapes. Branches with flowers line the outside of the field. 		1311
$1599

Two Plump Horses Rug
An Afghan horse rug inspired by Iranian design-- three tall figures stand in the center of the rug flanked by flocks of chickens. The top and bottom of the rug sport plump brown horses ridden by dark figures. Four red lions mark each corner of the field.
The main border is comprised of red and black square medallions unique to this type of rug, bordered by two black and red swirling guard stripes.
Some red dye bleeding in the main field of the rug. Very small areas of moth damage are visible in the top right corner, bottom right and left corners, and top center of the rug. Quarter-sized spot of moth damage in the bottom center. 		1634
$375

Clock Tower War Rug
This rug is very unusual. The wool is very good. The design is unique. It appears to be an adaptation of designs like This war rug #1465 or Plate 36 in Kevin Sudeith's first book about war rugs.. The large clock is unusual relative to similar designs. The white of the tower from which the clock hangs is understated. The foreground of this rug is abstracted, and there are war motifs like helicopters and rifles, scattered throughout the foreground.

The structure of this rug is reminiscent of rugs like war rug #26. It is possible that both of these rugs represent the work of the same weaver some 10 years apart.

The washing of this rug was not totally successful, for one can see some red discoloration in the lighter tans and whites, please see photos. Also note the light purple is an old fashioned analine dye, and significantly tip faded. Most synthetic dyes used in carpets today are no longer analine, but my understanding is that the particular purple in this rug is analyne. Condition notes aside, this is an interesting rug.

One of the subtle, and important, ways I judge rugs is by their weight. The best rugs have a density lacking in more poorly made rugs. Its not so much about knot count, because this rugs knotting is not particularly fine, but when I finished inventorying it and laid it back on the pile I noticed it had that density that speaks so well of rugs.		1488
$2249

Two Horsemen with Birds Rug
This blue rug features two men riding atop very detailed horses. Another man in a brown robe kneels in the center while two birds sit beside him. The negative space of the field is composed of geometric leaves and vines with several birds spaced throughout.
The border carries on this same geometric motif with green and brown leaf-shapes and diagonal stripes running through.

In late 2021 we have begun to offer rare rugs collected to illustrate how war rugs fit into Afghan rug history. This rug is an example: the seated figure comes from rugs illustrating Omar Khayam stories, and the horsemen hearken back to the oldest of rugs, the Pazyrik. 		1633
$775

Red Amman Ullah Khan War Rug
Price on request
This red Amman Ullah Khan rug shows the figure wearing a navy blue and orange military uniform and holding a yellow cane. Filling in the negative space around the figure are jets, flowers, plants, camels, and some sort of small animal.
There are four similarly sized borders each with their own pattern of geometric shapes. 		1072
$

Museum Exhibited
Excellent Quality and Drawing Ewer War Rug.
Price on request
This blue two-ewer war rug uses bright whites and rich oranges and middle blues to contrast against the dark field. Six tanks with text inside flank a line of five figures running down the center of the rug. The tables on which the ewers sit also includes text.
The border consists of rows of tanks on a white background. 		1018
$7500

Washed Double Landscape with Towers War Rug
Important early landscape rug from a good collection, but a dealer who shall remain nameless, 'tea washed' it.

This rug features a landscape with two large gridded minarets, possibly the Minaret of Jam. Smaller buildings sit throughout the rug with tall towers while a road snakes down the center. At the top and bottom of the rug sit faded subtle areas with mountains packed with helicopters and planes.
Although this rug has been washed, the bright orange and red are still vibrant and the overall color scheme of the rug is really nice.
There is a small section of repair in the bottom left side of the fringe which isn't very well done craftsmanship wise. 		2064
$2500

Red rug with colored bullet trim, grenade, flower, and air bomber pattern
This is a very unusual Red Rug. The drawing of the images in uniquely simple. The simple helicopters and the APC filled with circles with circle wheels are both unusual. The use of many small tertiary designs throughout the field creates an interesting all over effect. Well drawn classic bullet border.

This rug is in new condition. Red Rugs were woven in Pakistan during the 1990s until the international community forced the Taliban out of Afghanistan in 2001. The weavers of these rugs were Afghan refugees who returned to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. The Red rugs currently available have been sitting in warehouses since they were woven in the 1990's so their condition is excellent and like new.
1558
$1250

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