Maimana Bazaar

The covered carpet bazaar at the heart of Faryab's rug trade

The central bazaar of Maimana is the heart of the city — a covered warren of stalls selling everything from spices and dried fruit to the deep red kilim rugs the region is famous for. The bazaar is a working market, not a tourist showcase, and that is its appeal. Traders deal in carpets, agricultural goods, livestock fittings, hardware, and the small comforts of daily life. The pace is unhurried and the atmosphere distinctly Central Asian: Uzbek and Turkmen faces predominate, and the languages spoken include Uzbek, Turkmen, and Dari.

The carpet section is the obvious draw for outsiders. Faryab Province produces some of Afghanistan's finest traditional rugs, with tight geometric patterns and rich natural dyes that have been refined over generations. Prices are far below what these rugs command once they reach Kabul or Mazar-i-Sharif, let alone the international market. Bargaining is expected and time-consuming; tea is usually involved.

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A story
Faryab carpets — usually known to the trade simply as "Maimana kilims" — have been exported along the Silk Road for centuries. The flat-woven kilims in deep reds and dark blues that turn up in London and New York dealers' showrooms almost all pass through this market first, often bought by the bale from women who weave them at home in the surrounding villages.