I picked this up in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2006. It is an afghan war rug that is authentic and hand woven wool made by the locals. It depicts the twin towers, American flag, planes, helicopters, freedom bird and war symbols.
36.5 x 23 inches
Hello, this item is a handwoven Afghan war rug in wool, measuring approximately 36.5 by 23 inches, produced in Afghanistan around 2006. The composition features the Twin Towers, American flag, aircraft, helicopters, symbolic birds, and geometric war motifs, all characteristic of post-2001 Afghan war rugs created by local weavers responding directly to contemporary conflict imagery. These rugs belong to a well-documented genre that emerged from the Soviet-Afghan war period and continued through the early 2000s, blending traditional village weaving techniques with modern political iconography. The materials and knotting appear consistent with workshop or village production rather than factory manufacture, and the palette and graphic layout align with Kabul-region export pieces made for visiting foreigners and military personnel. Condition appears good overall, with intact borders, visible fringe, and no major losses or structural damage.
From a market perspective, early 2000s Afghan war rugs of this size and subject typically trade as ethnographic or political folk art rather than classical Oriental carpets. Comparable examples depicting 9/11-related imagery and US military symbols generally sell between USD 250 and USD 600 depending on graphic clarity, condition, and provenance. Pieces with strong iconography like the Twin Towers tend to sit toward the middle to upper end of that range. Based on size, imagery, condition, and confirmed 2006 Kabul acquisition, a realistic current secondary-market value for this rug would be USD 350 to USD 550 under standard resale conditions.