The war rug (Dari: فرش جنگی, romanized: farš jangi) tradition of Afghanistan has its origins in the decade of Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 and has continued through the subsequent military, political and social conflicts. Afghan rug-makers began incorporating the apparatus of war into their designs almost immediately after the Soviet Union invaded their country. War rugs continue to be sold, with patterns evolving over time, depicting weaponry such as drones and events such as the 2021 Fall of Kabul.
The terms Baluch and war rug are generalizations given to the genre by rug dealers, commercial galleries, collectors, critics, and commentators. The rugs are characterized as conveying their makers' experiences and interpretations of the circumstances and politics of war and conflict in the region.
Professor Jamal J. Elias has stated that war rugs are made not to reflect the experiences of their creators, but in response to market demand. Rug brokers and dealers have responded to the market for war rugs, supplying individual creators in bulk with patterns and materials. The rugs are then produced in bulk by individual weavers, including children, working from home. Finished rugs are sold by the brokers, with individual weavers seeing little of the profits.
Since the withdrawal of the USSR, the same themes and subjects have been reused and remade. Additionally, after 9/11 the events of that day were recorded in carpets, and more recently – since 2015 – drones have appeared as subject matter.
