Thursday 31 July 2008

In Afghanistan's Turkmen Rug Belt, It's Globalization vs. Tradition

ANDKHOY, Afghanistan; August 1, 2008 -- Twice a week the men whose wives and daughters weave the traditional red rugs of Central Asia come to this town in northern Afghanistan to sell their work.

The carpet bazaar is a rectangular courtyard with a two-floor gallery of traders’ stalls on every side, and the men approach it with trepidation.

Many of the men have dropped in as onlookers on the previous market day to learn what they can about the going prices. Now, accompanied by friends for support, they file into the courtyard and squat around its perimeter with their bundled rugs.

When the traders walk by to inspect what they have, the bargaining begins. First, the carpet is spread face-down on the dusty ground. The uncut top is of no interest; it is only the back the trader wants to see.

He inspects for knot density and evenness of weave. He folds the edges to see if they meet in the middle. And he looks for evenness of tension by carefully measuring the length and width at various points. And all the time he is checking for flaws.

Then he makes an offer: $75. The seller, who wants $120 won’t hear of it. Slowly the offer creeps up to $85 and onlookers begin to exhort the seller to agree. The trader tries to grab the seller’s hand and pump it to show there is a deal. A third person joins the negotiations, probably an agent of the trader, and pretends to be a fair-minded broker.

But still the seller refuses until, finally, the meeting breaks up. No deal.

The seller will test several more traders before he chooses between accepting what seems to be today’s price or coming back another day. He knows that on Mondays and Thursdays, so long as this is Andkhoy, the traders will be here.

Andkhoy’s bazaar is described in fascinating detail in a report prepared for the World Bank. The authors, Adam Pain and Moharram Ali of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit surveyed the town’s carpet business over the years 2001 to 2003.

Their work offers a look into a world of sellers and buyers that few Westerners ever see as the famous red rugs of Afghanistan begin their journey to the outside world.

The men who come to the market are heads of Turkmen households that produce carpets on an independent basis. These families have the financial means to purchase wool on credit and usually have at least one other source of income such as land or livestock. They are the most successful producers because when they sell their carpet, they keep the full selling price.

How much can these independent weavers earn? The profit depends a great deal on the quality of wool they are able to buy.

If they weave with low-quality wool from Pakistan, Pain and Ali calculate (in 2003) that they will earn about $25 per square meter from a traditional red rug that sells in the United Kingdom for $250 per square meter.

But if they weave what is known locally as a ‘Biljeek,’ that is a rug woven with finer wool imported from Belgium, they can earn $58 dollars per square meter on a red rug that sells retail for $429 per square meter.

Pain and Ali estimate that about 10 to 20 percent of the weavers in the Andkhoy area are independent. The rest work under entirely different arrangements and, in fact, never come to the bazaar to sell at all. Instead, they work under profit sharing or wage-labor contracts.

A minority of the profit-sharing weavers --like the independents -- still produce the Turkmens' traditional repeating ‘gul’ designs or more recent varities of red rugs such as Khal Muhammadi or Mauri. Exporters’ agents provide them the wool and the dimensions and the weavers get 50 percent of the rug’s local market value.

But today the majority of local weavers (the researchers estimate 50 to 70 percent) work under labor contracts and produce carpets that have no local roots at all. Agents give them some $35 per square meter (for a carpet that retails for $549 per square meter) and wool from the Mideast to produce Chobis that have a modified Indo-Persian design.

The Chobis -- which ironically use natural dyes while the ‘traditional’ local designs use chemical dyes - strongly resemble the commercially successful Zieglers produced in northern Persia by Western firms in the early 1900s.

Pain and Ali say that Chobi production, which originated in the Afghan refugee camps around Peshawar, came to Andkhoy as the refugees – both Turkmens and Uzbeks -- returned home.

The contract-labor terms pay as well or better than profit sharing and minimize the weavers’ risk. That makes it attractive to poor weavers even though the agents commonly reduce the final wage payment if they find the slightest flaws.

Now, as carpet production in northern Afghanistan keeps expanding, the number of contracted weavers keeps growing.

Pain and Ali note that there are clear economic benefits as the contract weaving joins sharecropping and agricultural labor as the mainstays of people too poor to own land or livestock.

But the authors also sound a warning.

They observe that the happiest position for artisans is when retail customers recognize their work as the expression of a unique artistic heritage and willingly pay more for it than they do for generic goods.

However, if generic weavings become what Afghanistan is best known for, they say, "there is little hope at present that Afghanistan’s carpets will be able to achieve that position."

(Photos of Andkhoy market from: Alti Bolaq)

(Photos of Turkmen Ersari carpets from: Carpet Collection)

#

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

#

Related Links:

Understanding Markets in Afghanistan: A case study of carpets and the Andkhoy carpet market, by Adam Pain and Moharram Ali

From Andkhoy to Jeddah


Habibullah Kerimi Making a Life and Rugs in Exile


Barry O’Connell: Turkmen Rugs - Guide To Ersari Rugs and Carpets

Barry O’Connell: Guide to Turkmen Rugs and Carpets, Turkoman Rugs

Barry O’Connell: Guide to Rugs and Carpets of Afghanistan

Emmett Eiland: Afghan Rugs and Carpets - Rugs from Afghanistan

24 comments:

Unknown said...

Very cool article. I love the pictures.

Here's a great Afghan rugs article which gives an overview of the best carpets being made in Afghanistan today.

Zanuyay said...

That's a fascinating article actually. Do you happen to know where the whole report by Pain and Ali might be available for the general reader?

Zanuyay said...

Doh! Sorry, never mind ... I saw the link.

halı yıkama said...

very goog turmen carpets

Canada Goose Outlet said...

Thank you for your nice post, as we know, Fresh toward the Arctic Collection, inspired by our iconic Expedition Parka, the Canada Goose Parka is acknowledged getting a slimmer and trendy edition, wonderful for that town.Canada Goose Citadel Parka could be the best option toward freezing weather. Features a comparable 4 fleece lined, zippered hand warmer pockets invisible in the rear belonging toward chest and decrease pockets. These a range of pockets are terrific area for storing tiny items. The Canada Goose sales has an adjustable bracing cable tv set inside the hood for support, supplying exceptional defense in considerable wind conditions. With its 625 fill energy lumination duck slicing you are limited getting kept warm, for the coldest of winter days, although nonetheless assisting you sustain a trendy Canada Goose Expedition Parka.

cheap Gucci said...

WOW, IT NICE POST! As we all knows, Gucci type keeps correct to their conventional Italian roots like a horseback saddler and imitation leather works. we are able to say that Gucci Belt Bags may be the most preferred bags within our Gucci Outlet on the web store. The ralph lauren outlet materials is pretty gentle and good which you will really feel a awesome and relieve emotion within the season. each and every 1 who see it for that 1st sight will adore cheap Gucci Bags at once. as nicely as cost from our Gucci outlet store on the web is really aggressive for you, you totally can pay for to obtain it. So arrive on buddy! by no means skip the chance.

Civil Construction Courses said...

Cool! That's seem good.Civil Construction Courses

Unknown said...

TWENTY us today for an affordable quote on oven cleaning budget friendly Brisbane! We have a committed Oven cleaning gold coast group of expert staff available, prepared to transform your stove.

Unknown said...

cara mengobati kemaluan keluar nanah cara mengobati kemaluan keluar nanah cara mengobati ujung kemaluan keluar nanah ujung kemaluan keluar nanah di sertai perih saat kencing ujung kemaluan keluar nanah di sertai perih saat kencing penyebab penis keluar nanah penyebab penis keluar nanah obat untuk kemaluan yang keluar nanah dan perih saat kencing penis keluar nanah pusat pengobatan herbal obat kemaluan keluar nanah mengapa kemaluan keluar nanah mengapa kemaluan keluar nanah obat penis keluar nanah obat penis keluar nanah cairan nanah keluar dari kemaluan pria cairan nanah keluar dari kemaluan pria obat cairan nanah keluar dari kemaluan obat cairan nanah keluar dari kemaluan obat cairan nanah keluar dari kemaluan cairan nanah keluar dari kemaluan cairan nanah keluar dari kemaluan kemaluan keluar nanah di sertai perih saat kencing kemaluan keluar nanah di sertai perih saat kencing

Unknown said...

ugg outlet, http://www.uggboots-outlet.co.uk/
futbol baratas, http://www.futbol-baratas.com/
cheap michael kors handbags, http://www.cheapmichaelkorshandbag.in.net/
jordan shoes, http://www.jordan-shoes.us.com/
lebron james shoes, http://www.lebronjames.us.com/
louis vuitton outlet, http://www.louisvuittonoutlet.in.net/
nike free 5, http://www.nikefree5.us/
hermes bags, http://www.hermesbags.co.uk/
canada goose outlet, http://www.canadagooseoutlet.com.co/
links of london, http://www.linksoflondons.co.uk/
timberland boots, http://www.timberlandboots.name/
thomas sabo uk, http://www.thomassabos.co.uk/
ray ban sunglasses, http://www.ray-bansunglassess.in.net/
soccer jerseys, http://www.soccerjerseys.us.com/
cheap jordans, http://www.cheapjordanshoes.in.net/
michael kors handbags, http://www.michaelkorshandbag.co.uk/
cheap jordans, http://www.cheapjordans.us.org/
vans shoes, http://www.vans-shoes.cc/
oakley sunglasses, http://www.oakleysunglassesdiscount.us.com/
parajumpers coats, http://www.woolrichoutletstore.us.com/
asics, http://www.asicsisrael.com/
ray ban sunglasses, http://www.raybansunglass.us.com/
the north face clearance, http://www.thenorthfaceclearances.us.com/
cheap nfl jerseys, http://www.cheap-nfljersey.us.com/
oakley sunglasses, http://www.oakleysunglasseswholesale.in.net/
20151014caihuali

Unknown said...

ray ban sunglasses
coach outlet
mont blanc pens
cheap nike shoes sale
polo ralph lauren outlet
jordan shoes
redskins jerseys
ugg outlet
true religion outlet
pandora charms

raybanoutlet001 said...

cheap nfl jerseys
cheap basketball shoes
ray ban sunglasses
ralph lauren outlet
polo ralph lauren
nike outlet
jerseys wholesale
browns jerseys
ray ban sunglasses outlet
hugo boss suits

Unknown said...

nike blazer
michael kors handbags
ralph lauren uk
air jordan 4
cheap nba jerseys
football pas cher
mbt shoes
nike outlet
soccer boots
oakley sunglasses wholesale
zzzzz2018.5.25

5689 said...

zzzzz2018.9.14
nike air max
nhl jersey
coach outlet
true religion
off white shoes
coach outlet
reebok outlet
coach factory outlet
ugg boots outlet
dsquared2

ShopARug said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

jlaljkjllgl


furnitureretro
emdfurniturecenter
hrdfurnitur

kiperline said...

http://www.emdfurniturecenter.com/best-furniture-online-store/
Do you know where to buy best furniture ? I want to buy hanging
chair indoor
, triangle coffee table,
2 seat sofa or
3 seat sofa. Want high quality and low price,
and classic design.

kiperline said...

best furniture blogs

Vapeciga said...

Your Online Furniture Store shop swivel chair and recliner chair with genuine leather,you can find all the modern rplica furniture to create the most stylish and comfortable home
Hrdfurniture
Hrdfurniture
Hrdfurniture

Dora Shaw said...

There are some interesting points in time in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them center to heart. There is some validity but I will take hold opinion until I look into it further. Good article, thanks and we want more! Added to FeedBurner as well

Rusforum.com
Information

Levi Fisher said...

Spot on with this write-up, I truly think this website needs much more consideration. I’ll probably be again to read much more, thanks for that info.

Apendometriosi.it
Information
Click Here

mcdeashe said...

this link buy replica bags this post high end replica bags pop over to this site best replica bags

bananef said...

click click to read see this page website here over at this website aaa replica bags

Unknown said...

browse around this web-site Valentino Dolabuy Home Page see here now Discover More click reference