With the recent interest in
Afghanistan, Afghani jewelry, artifacts and even bank-wrapped stacks of currency have found their way onto the
eBay online auction site. Their antique
silver and
lapis lazuli necklaces and bracelets fetch quite a handsome sum.
Holy Shit, Gabe! Where in the hell did you get that?
Also of particular interest seem to be the so-called "war rugs." Using the striking colors of Turkish and other oriental rugs, war rug designs depict grenades, bomber jets, various models of automatic rifle, and more grotuesque subjects, making them as disturbing as they are beautiful.
Fuckin' A, dude! That is the most awesome thing I have ever seen!
As of the date of this writeup, 100 USD will fetch 4726.30 AFA. The average annual income in Afghanistan according to a November 20, 2001 report by US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is less than 200 USD.
Dude, that is so sweet!
There are many types of spoils that go along with any war. Nations win land, peoples win retribution, soldiers win artifacts, honor, and the right to go home alive. How strange it is that one desolate patch of Earth could have been under seige for so long as to produce tapestry depicting the fiery death of an anonymous city. What is interesting is, taken out of their home region, the "alien" nature of the war rugs inflates their value to an insane degree. Reaching the West, they become morbid curios, conversation pieces. They hang from our walls as grim reminders of everything our country is lucky enough not to understand. They carpet the floor in front of our displays of medieval weaponry.
Think they made any more with rats like that?
For the price of one of these rugs, I could feed an Afghani family for a year.
Sources:
FXConverter, exchange rate USD -> AFA Saturday, 1/19/02. http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic 1/19/02
eBay, Items matching (Afghanistan). http://www.ebay.com 1/19/02
Washington File, Treasury Dept.'s O'Neill on Afghanistan Reconstruction, 11/20/01. http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/
terror/01112008.htm 1/19/02