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The Carpet Wars by [Christopher Kremmer]

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Christopher Kremmer

The Carpet Wars Kindle Edition

by Christopher Kremmer (Author)

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THE CARPET WARS is foreign correspondent Christopher Kremmer's riveting and timely account of a decade spent living, travelling and reporting from Asia and the Middle East. During his time reporting from Asia and the Middle East he formed an obsession with carpets and the 'perfect rug' - an obsession that saw him trace the threads of the carpet-making trade through the Islamic nations of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Along the way he made lifelong friendships, but he also discovered societies ripped apart by war, religion and fratricide, and ruled over by warlords like 'the Lion of Panjsher' Ahmed Shah Massoud - and terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. tHE CARPEt WARS tells the story of Kremmer's amazing journey and his fascinating but fraught experiences in one the most ancient, misunderstood and least-touristed parts of the world.

Length: 448 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled	Language: English

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From the Back Cover

A fascination with carpets leads Christopher Kremmer to roam the troubled lands where they originate. He encounters a marvellous cast of people, from Iranian carpet salesmen to houseboat owners in Kashmir, displaced Afghan nomads to sometimes shady merchants of the bazaar, as well as political and religious leaders who have become household names.

In the remote Hindu Kush, Kremmer celebrates 'Eid' with the late Afghan guerrilla legend, Ahmad Shah Massoud; he meets the fearsome Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostrum in his fortress headquarters outside Mazar-e-Sharif, and in Kandahar, takes tea with Taliban leaders, and goes hunting for Osama bin Laden. What he finds are Muslim nations hanging by a thread, their people betrayed by despotic leaders, and economies kept afloat by little more than rugs, drugs and oil.

'The Carpet Wars' is an intimate and compelling portrait of one of the most ancient and misunderstood parts of the world, and an impassioned plea for breaking down the barriers of ignorance that separate it from the West.

About the Author

Born in Sydney in 1958, Christopher Kremmer has spent the past decade exploring Asia nad writing about it for print and broadcast media. His award-winning first book, Stalking the Elephant Kings, unearthed the skeletons of communist rule in Indochina. He lives in Sydney.

Product details

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 1722 KB
Print Length: 448 pages
Publisher: 4th Estate (17 March 2010)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers (AU)
Language: English
ASIN: B003CQIB1E
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

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Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Customer Reviews:
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #277,376 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #1016 in Travel Writing
- #1117 in Travel Writing Reference
- #668 in Travel Essays & Travelogues (Kindle Store)

Customer reviews

5 star 73% (73%)		73%
4 star 16% (16%)		16%
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Adrian J. Smith

More than just travel writing material, travel companion material

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 April 2015

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I read The Carpet Wars back in 2002, long before the invention of Kindle. The book stands with pride of place on my bookshelf, but when the Kindle Edition was released I immediately snapped it up as for me, the book is an indispensible piece of travel writing, and an indispensible travel companion.
The Carpet Wars is a piece of travel writing that stands out from the vast canon of travel writing literature out there, namely the fascinating connection between carpet weaving countries, and the conflicts they have been scarred by.
The book was released in early 2002, with 911 and the subsequent war in Afghanistan a very recent memory. As such, one would immediatly assume that this book may have been marketing toward the new obsession with Afghanistan, Al Qa'eda and all the negative elements of the Middle East.
To say the least, both assumptions are wrong. The release was purely coincidence. The author had spent 10 years traveling throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, and collecting carpets. So while the release and marketing may have suited the 911 environment, the research and compilation of the book was purely coincidental. No one gets a 10 year head start on the post 911 world, and not even the most ardent conspiracy theorist would believe that.
Secondly, there is little negative in this book. Yes it does detail and reflect the trauma exisiting in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kashmir and various other places, but it most certainly does not read like the latest Daily Mail or Daily Express expose on the harshness of Shariah law, and how it is coming your way.
The book has a very human and sentimental feel. It is not told from some haughty position of cultural superiority, rather it is told in an empathetic way, recounting the stories of the people on the ground, providing feeling for their way of life, and showing a real human touch.
Carpet Wars is not only an informative and culturally insightful book, it is also a heartfelt book, a sentimental and nostalgic piece of work that speaks from the heart.

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sarah bourne

Highly informative and engaging

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2014

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I read this book for two reasons: research for a novel I'm writing, and because I loved another of Chris Kremmer's book, Inhaling the Mahatma. He has lived and worked in Asia for many years, and his love of the countries he writes about, as well as the frustrations he experiences, come across equally. His writing is engaging, so that facts are balanced with anecdotes about the people and places he came to know and love. I highly recommend it.

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Nikolai77

A gem of a book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2013

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There are times when the title of a book does not quite tell you the richness of its content, and this is one of them. Its core content is all about 'Persian' (and many other) carpets, but the richness lies in his acute observations and human contacts in countries that most of us have never seen, nor, given the current world upheavals, are ever likely to. I have been to the Middle East, and what he has done is to capture the essence of the culture there. I found it quite fascinating, and keep on going back to it and dipping into it again - a sure sign of an engrossing book. Highly recommended.

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David

One of the best travel books I have ever read

Reviewed in the United States on 13 March 2004

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I finished this book about six weeks ago, and I can't stop thinking about it.
So often travel literature-type books by westerners in these kinds of far-off places can be either too clever, cynical or condescending at one end of the scale, or, at the other end too reverent, with a reverence that seems to really be an I-hate-where-I-am-from complex. Both extremes can get tiring pretty quickly.
The Carpet Wars was exactly in the middle, and it was fascinating. It was extremely informative about the history, politics, religion and, yes, even the carpets of the region from Pakistan to Iran. Carpets were merely the thread (so to speak) that held the several first-hand accounts of travels to the region.
Kremmer is a master story teller, and very funny. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was more enjoyable, the story he was telling or the way he was telling it.
His accounts of places with which he is very familiar are told in the rich tones of a deep affection. When he is in a new place, like Isfahan, the account is in the vivid colors of someone seeing something for the first time, creating some of the best travel essays I have ever read. Seven weeks ago, Isfahan was just an exotic name to me, now it's at the top of places I hope I can see before I die.
Its hard to say what recommends this book more, the fact that it is throughly enjoyable, or deeply infomrative.
I haven't read Mr. Kremmer's book about Laos, but it is probably pretty good. Books like The Carpet Wars don't stick with you so long by accident.

15 people found this helpful

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SaxManiac1

Very interesting account

Reviewed in the United States on 30 April 2018

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I’m still reading in the beginning of this book which I find really interesting, being a novice ‘oriental’ rug collector. Very good, informative account of the carpet industry in worn torn Afghanistan. Well written and detailed. To be continued....

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endowdly

A Different Perspective

Reviewed in the United States on 16 May 2010

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I really enjoy this book. The author presents the complex and intriguing culture contained in a specific context not many would use to describe the societal actions of Afghanis. He presents the different tribal realities in a woolen way; using the carpet trade. How has the trade impacted culture and how has the culture affected the trade? You can see the way the wars and conflict in Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion has affected and molded the carpet trade in the area; it's a very telling look at what is really going on. You need to read the book with a different approach; take in the how the trade has been affected to truly understand the insight the author is trying to provide.

The author uses great words to describe what he sees. He uses a very colorful and telling narrative that pulls you along with his story. I recommend this book to the casual reader interested in different cultures, anybody interested in a first hand look at the carpet trade, and any one in the military who would be interested in getting a new perspective at the culture we are currently protecting and the enemy we are currently fighting.

One person found this helpful

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Jaspal Singh

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on 24 May 2017

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Amust for rug lovers

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Robert M. Atherton

How did we get to where we are in the Middle East

Reviewed in the United States on 27 February 2013

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I love oriental carpets, thus the title grabbed my attention immediately. As I got into the book and realized that the carpets would be but a unifying element in this fine journalist's story of his ten years traveling in the ancient trade routes of the Middle East, I became engrossed in this unfinished history.

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nina-bo-bina

Wonderful read!

Reviewed in the United States on 30 September 2014

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Arrived on time.
Wonderful read!

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Darrell T. Freund

The author should stick to carpets

Reviewed in the United States on 21 August 2008

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I am writing this review while working in Kabul. Before Kabul I was in Dushanbe. The author tends to romanticize Afghanistan and mention (or gloss over) important subjects that he does not seem to understand or want to recognize. His section on Tajikistan introduces the reader to his meeting with Massoud (Lion of Panjshir and an ethnic Tajik). The author should have found another way to introduce his meeting with Massoud - a genuine hero to many Afghans as demonstrated by his posters on buildings, buses and cars in Kabul today.

A careful reader will note that the author's tone and descriptions of Tajikistan and Dushanbe are not nearly as detailed (or romanticized) as the chapters devoted to Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, he portrays Tajiks as drunken, gambling clowns. I am embarrassed for my Tajik friends who live in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

There was also a brief mention about the origin of some silver trinkets the author saw for sale in Iraq. A vendor told a BBC journalist that the silver items belonged to Iraqi Jews. The author goes on to discuss how Zionists, with the help of an agent, convinced Iraq to let Iraqi Jews move to Israel. The author, by putting quotes around the words "rescue operation" to describe the Iraqi Jewish exodus from Iraq, is implying that the 150,000 Jews who were in Iraq were never in danger. If the author wants to discuss these issues he should be fair and impartial. It is common knowledge that the Jews who fled Iraq and other Arab lands in the 1950s were forced to sell their property and assets at ridiculously low prices. The author could have mentioned this which is common knowledge to anyone interested in the history of the region, rather than calling into doubt the reason why the Jews of Iraq fled to Israel in the 1950s. An event that made many Arabs outside Palestine very rich.

The brief stories about carpet buying are very interesting. The author should stick to these encounters.

6 people found this helpful

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