The Carpet Wars: From Kabul to Baghdad A Ten-Year Journey Along Ancient Trade Routes

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Ecco Pr, 2002. New York: Ecco, 2002. First edition. 8vo. Hard cover binding, 447 pp. Illustrated with photographs. While carpets from the Muslim world are found in many Western homes, the story of religious, political, and tribal strife behind their creation remains virtually unknown to their owners. Christopher Kremmer chronicles his ten-year journey along the ancient carpet trade routes that run through the world's most volatile and misunderstood regions—Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, India, Pakistan, and the former Soviet republics in Central Asia—taking readers into a world where even the simplest motif on a rug can be filled with religious, tribal, and political significance. On the outskirts of Kabul in 1990, Kremmer witnessed mujahideen rebels massing while carpet dealers of the old city continued to ply their timeless trade. In the remote Hindu Kush, Kremmer celebrated Eid with the late Afghan guerrilla Ahmad Shah Massoud, and in Kandahar he took tea with Taliban leaders and went hunting for Osama bin Laden. Tiny remainder tape over ISBN number, else unread and as new in dustjacket.. First Edition. Hard Cover. As New/As New. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Remainder.