The foundation stone for the first rug weaving and processing workhouse was laid during a ceremony attended by local provincial officials in Jawzjan province in northern Afghanistan. The workhouse is expected to create jobs for at least 1,100 people.
The rug weaving facility, whose foundation stone was placed on Monday, October 31, will be built on 2,000 square meters of land in the Aqcha district of Jawzjan province at the cost of $150,000.
The new rug weaving workhouse is funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office, Zabihullah Zahid, the CEO of Abed Afghan Company, said.
According to Zahid, the Afghan Abed company official, with this rug weaving project up and running, it will provide jobs for at least 1,100 people.
“Before, all of our raw materials were exported to Pakistan and Iran, where they manufactured and exported carpets under their own names, which caused significant losses to Afghanistan,” he continued. “For now, it is a place to be delighted that this initiative is implemented here.”
The local Taliban government officials in Jawzjan have expressed their gratitude for the construction of the rugweaving and packaging facility and said that its operations effectively prevent rug smuggling out of the country.
Following the completion of the work on this facility, all phases of the carpet industry would be conducted in the Aqcha district, according to Mohammad Ismail Rasekh, the governor of the Taliban in Jawzjan Province.
“This is wonderful news for the people of Afghanistan because, with the establishment of this processing facility, rug cutting and processing will take place here and will be shipped to foreign countries from here,” Rasekh said.
The finest rugs being produced in the world are Afghan rugs, a type of handwoven floor-covering textile traditionally woven in the northern and western regions of Afghanistan, primarily by Afghan Turkmens and Uzbeks. Each is individually designed and a unique work of art with its own color palette.
