Salmiya

I have posted on this blog some time ago an unusual Seh Mihraba rug from the Shindand market area in west Afghanistan. I had bought it from my friendly Afghan carpet sellers Mirwuis and Syed who used to have a small shop in Kuwait’s Souq Mubarakia. They frequently offered a variety of rugs from Afghanistan and Iran on the Friday market in the Al-Rai industrial area next to the notorious 4th Ring Road, just behind the nurseries. Opposite to the animal market, there is what is called the Iranian market where you may find in fact everything you might be looking for. The whole area is very fascinating. My friends and I liked to go there, if possible every weekend. I would like to post another, much more typical, Seh Mihraba rug here. Tareq Rajab, Kuwait’s former Director of the Department of Antiquities and Museums in Kuwait and owner of two most marvelous private museums in Jabriya (the museum for calligraphy I had a chance to visit shortly before leaving Kuwait for good in 2007),...

Both were introduced to me by a colleague from Sweden who regularly visited them with his wife on the Friday market in Kuwait. When I met them in late 2001, shortly after the bombarding of Tora Bora had begun, they sold plenty of similarly looking Baluchi prayer rugs and, more interesting, so-called Afghan war rugs , with maps of the devastated country and made during the war against the Soviet Union. At that time Mujahiddin were praised as freedom fighters by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and were heavily supported by CIA. These war rugs were very emotional and I bought several of them for my friends and relatives. Unfortunately, I have not retained a single piece for myself. (If anyone wants to offer me a nice Afghan war rug, please contact me!) Mirwuis and Seyed had also a little shop in Souq Mubarakia, downtown in Kuwait City. I got a special attention there and lots of discount since I dragged my friends and guests always to these rather shy and friendly two men. We had man...