Afghan Kilim & Tribal Rugs
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Hand-knotted Afghan rugs, direct from the weavers
Afghanistan has woven rugs for longer than almost anywhere on earth, and the best of them still come from the same towns. Our own team lives and works there, and the owner travels to buy, from Kabul to the northern weaving towns and west to Herat. We choose each rug by hand, check the knotting, the wool and the dye, and ship it straight to Chicago and Evanston.
We also commission new weaving, including quieter modern designs, so the craft keeps paying the families who hold it. When a rug here says Made in Afghanistan, it was woven in Afghanistan; many Afghan rugs are exported through Pakistan and relabeled. Ours are not.
- Ghazni — hand-spun highland wool with natural lanolin
- The Turkmen north — Khal Mohammadi, Mauri and Bokhara weaving
- Chobi / Ziegler — vegetable dyes, soft antique wash
- Kazak — bold Caucasian tribal designs, thick pile
- Faryab — Maimana kilims, flat and reversible
- Herat & Mazar-i-Sharif — Baluch tribal pieces, the northern market
Need a 10x16, a 4x20 runner or a round? We weave it.
We commission hand-knotted Afghan rugs in the exact size, design and colors your room needs, woven by the same families we buy from. Pick a rug you love from our floor and we match it, or send a photo, a wall color or a designer's palette and we weave to it.
Afghan rugs, answered
Are Afghan rugs good quality?
Yes. Afghan rugs are hand-knotted in hand-spun wool, often Ghazni highland wool, on a cotton or wool foundation. The wool keeps its natural lanolin, which resists dirt, and a well-made Afghan rug lasts for decades of daily use.
How much does an Afghan rug cost?
It depends on size, knot density and wool. Because we buy directly in Afghanistan and sell at marked prices, a hand-knotted Afghan rug here costs less than at a store buying through importers. Every price on this page is the marked price of that rug.
What is the difference between an Afghan rug and a Persian rug?
Persian rugs come from Iran and are known for curvilinear floral designs and fine city weaving. Afghan rugs lean geometric and tribal, with Turkmen guls, Caucasian-style Kazak medallions and the soft antique-washed florals of Chobi rugs, in heavier hand-spun wool. Both are hand-knotted; Afghan rugs are usually the better value per square foot.
What is a Chobi or Ziegler rug?
A Chobi (also Ziegler or Peshawar) is an Afghan rug woven in hand-spun wool with vegetable dyes and finished with a soft antique wash, in muted ivory, beige, rust and faded blue. It is the most popular Afghan style for modern living rooms.
Do Afghan rugs shed?
A new hand-knotted wool rug sheds a little loose fiber for the first weeks of vacuuming, then stops. Vacuum without the beater bar. Kilims and flatweaves do not shed.
How do I clean an Afghan rug?
Vacuum regularly without the beater bar and rotate it once a year. Blot spills with a clean, damp cloth; for a deeper clean, choose a professional rug cleaner who works with handmade rugs rather than a carpet cleaner, every few years. We clean and repair hand-knotted rugs.
Add a Durahold Plus pad, cut to your rug
Patented felt-and-rubber, cut to the exact size of the rug you choose. Keeps it flat and still on wood, tile and stone floors. Every rug page has a box to add it, so the two can arrive together.