Afghan Rug Sellers Report Business Has Soared Since the Fighting Began

By DAVID KELLY

Oct. 15, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Something odd is happening down at Farid Niazi’s snug, dimly lighted carpet shop. Though sales at many businesses have plummeted since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Niazi’s Persian Rug Gallery in downtown Ventura is experiencing a bit of a renaissance.

Day after day, people march in and burrow through stacks of Persian, Chechen, Indian and Chinese rugs until they spy their quarry--the dark, tribal rugs of Afghanistan.

“The last few weeks have been amazing,” said Niazi, a native of Kabul. “People are coming in saying they only want Afghan rugs because they think they won’t be able to buy them anymore. It was the same thing in 1979 during the Iranian hostage crisis.”

The story is the same across the street at Santa Barbara Rug Gallery.

“I sold five Afghan carpets last weekend,” said Vahid, the store manager, who declined to give his last name. “My friend at a shop in Orange County sold four last week.”

Rug connoisseurs statewide, fearing war and political turmoil will curtail supplies of Afghan rugs, are collecting them. And though dealers say there is no shortage now, they warn that international politics in the weeks ahead will determine whether the rugs will remain readily available or become scarce commodities.

“Right now, everyone is cutting production in Pakistan,” said Ahmad Ahmadi, an Afghan immigrant who owns Ariana Rugs in Los Angeles. “Our shipment has been delayed. The people we deal with are refugees. If we stop buying, they will have no money for food.”

The irony of the Afghan rug is that, after decades of war and political unrest, almost none are made in Afghanistan. Most are woven by Afghan refugees in camps in the northern Pakistan cities of Peshawar and Quetta.

Importers usually give them wool, looms and sometimes specific designs to make. Pay is often by the piece or by the knot. One dealer said he knows weavers--and there are sometimes three to a rug--who make $5 a day and about $75 per rug, while some get far less. The rugs are sold abroad for $300 to more than $30,000. A typical 9-by-12 rug costs about $2,000 in U.S. stores, dealers say.

The tribal character of Afghan rugs makes them unique and highly sought after. The designs are often hard-edged and geometrical, full of straight lines and dark colors, as opposed to the elegant, curving patterns of Persian rugs. Rugs made by the Hazara, Belouchi and Turkman tribes are especially valued, dealers say.

And so-called “war rugs,” commemorating the Afghan victory over Soviet invaders, include woven images of moujahedeen fighters blasting Russian helicopters with missiles. They are rare and eagerly sought by collectors.

“Afghan rugs are the highest sellers in America,” said John Mustafa, co-owner of Oriental Rug Co. in Santa Barbara. “Afghans are the best weavers in the world. They use natural vegetable dyes, old designs and stain the rugs with tea to give them an antique look. The dyes accent hardwood floors.”

He said rug shipments are taking longer to arrive these days, with each piece getting individual scrutiny before leaving Pakistan.

Ahmadi, owner of the Ariana shop, fears his wool shipments from central Afghanistan will dry up if the war continues.

“It may be impossible to get the wool in the future,” he said.

Several Scenarios Point to Shortage

Rug dealers, who seem as much anthropologists and diplomats as businesspeople, say a prolonged war in Afghanistan could swell refugee camps and disrupt rug weaving. Or the Taliban could be overthrown and Afghan refugees will leave the camps and go home, shutting off the rug spigot.

“The Pakistani currency has gone up and that is pushing up the price of rugs,” said Mark Moran, a buyer for NW Rugs in Agoura Hills.

The availability of the rugs may be tied to the fate of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Vahid said. “If Musharraf is overthrown, then we will have problems, because Pakistan will be in turmoil,” he said.

Few believe there will be an embargo on Afghan rugs like the one slapped on Persian rugs from Iran by former President Reagan in the wake of the hostage crisis.

“For years we had an embargo, and that didn’t stop the sale of Persian rugs,” said Vic Deirmendjian, owner of Rugs Inc. of Los Angeles, who also teaches a UCLA Extension course on rug history and design.

“There will be some fallout from this war, but it will be temporary. How tightly your business is connected to the international economy will determine the effect,” he said. “If this becomes a world war, then we will all suffer, but if we surgically take care of these terrorists, then the economy should be fine.”

Meanwhile, as some seek out Afghan rugs, others purposely avoid them.

“Some of my associates have experienced severe repercussions,” Deirmendjian said. “I know of a case where a customer got into a heated argument with a merchant who was defending his position for importing these beautiful rugs, which transcend national and social boundaries. It was a serious fight and almost got physical. The customer said he should take the rugs off the floor, that he was supporting terror.”

Vahid also encountered some hostility.

“One lady said, ‘Don’t even mention the name Afghan to me,’ ” he recalled. “One told me she didn’t want to do anything to help the Afghan people. Another said she wouldn’t buy an Afghan rug because of the war.”

Ventura’s Niazi said he hasn’t suffered any backlash.

“If they buy the rugs they are actually helping out the refugees and not the Taliban,” he said.