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| Title | Najibullah |
| Subject | War rugs--Afghanistan--History--20th century ; War rugs--Middle East--History--20th century ; War rugs--Asia, Central--History--20th century ; Afghanistan--Politics and government, 1989-2001 ; Afghanistan--History--Soviet occupation, 1979-1989 ; Najibullah, Mohammad, 1947-1996 |
| Description | This rug has a figured centrefield and a single border. The centre is dominated by President Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai, whose forehead is inscribed with a red hammer and sickle. His left arm appears to be pointing towards Pakistan. His head is held by a large hand extending down from the north and attached to a Soviet-style hammer and sickle. He is positioned on top of a green map of Afghanistan, the area above coloured red, below coloured blue and on the left side a turquoise strip inscribed with the word "Iran". To the right is a brown area with the word "Chinh". On the blue ground there are two camels being led towards the left by a man with a stick. Another figure rides a horse below three reddish triangles and adjacent to an animal and two trees. On the red ground above the map are the shield like motif with "USSR" and a hammer and sickle, a row of five helicopters and one tank with two riders. Surrounding Najibullah are four soldiers, facing or aiming weapons at him, three grenades, two tanks and an unidentified motif with an X below his feet. The border has a red ground and the selvedges are natural brown wool and the ends are finished with a band of red plain weave and cotton fringes. |
| Narrative | Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai was the last president of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, left in power by the Soviets after their withdrawal in 1989. He was detested by the Taliban for being anti-Islamic and a Communist. In 1996, after the Taliban seized Kabul, he was tortured and hung. His image here with the Soviet hand holding him in place is a graphic reminder of the lingering effects of the Cold War. |
| Region | Afghanistan |
| Time Period depicted/represented | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
| Type of textile | rugs ; carpets |
| Dimensions [cm] | 106 x 67.5 |
| Materials | wool weft and pile, cotton warp |
| Technique | knotted pile |
| Language of Inscriptions | eng |
| Period Made | Late 20th century |
| Publisher | University of Calgary |
| Collection | Nickle Arts Museum Textile Collection |
| Sub-collection | Fyke Rug Collection |
| Themes | Fyke Rug Collection. Afghan Nationalism, Souvenirs |
| Rights | This collection is owned by the University of Calgary, Nickle Arts Museum and was donated by Robert Fyke. Permission to use any image or material from this site should be requested from The Nickle Arts Museum.
http://digitization.ucalgary.ca/index.php/Conditions_of_Use |
| Accession Number | 2009.032.000 |
| Type | image |
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