Vintage 1980s Afghan rug showing elements of the war against Russia including the pictures of tanks, helicopters, Kalashnikov and hand grenades. Hand knotted tribal war design, completely handmade wool rug. The earliest rugs seem to have emerged shortly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 from refugee camps in Pakistan, where millions of Afghans had relocated. Featuring guns, helicopters and tanks, they were small and shoddily made with coarse wool. Rug sellers and souvenir shops pitched them to workers for non-government organizations and Western government officials. The designs have become more sophisticated over the years. The writing on some rugs declares that they’re made in Sheberghan, a city in northern Afghanistan famous for its Turkmen weavers.