Soviet Exodus war rug

The rug is a 'Soviet Exodus' war rug, depicting images of stylised Soviet tanks leaving along two roads coming out of the north of a map of Afghanistan, evidence of the Soviets' 'route of retreat'. 'Soviet Exodus' war rugs were originally produced in the 1990s, but new versions (such as this one) continue to be produced for the international market. The rug depicts a map of Afghanistan in the centre, with the names of the countries geographically bordering Afghanistan surrounding it. The rug also includes depictions of the Afghanistan flag, text in an Afghan language and a range of Soviet weapons, aircraft and tanks. The blending of recording historical events, geographic regions, images of Soviet armaments and a traditional geometric border of triangular shapes in blue, ochre, rust and black is unique. War rugs are primarily made by members of the Uzbek, Baluch, Turkmen and Hazara ethnic groups, who, most recently, have fled the dominance of the Taliban in Afghanistan. As historical documents, war rugs provide a means of capturing the changing nature of Afghan society and culture, due to the impact of successive conflicts, while also preserving traditional techniques and designs.