Afghan Girl Weaves Special Rug for President Obama

January 26, 2013

In Afghanistan, a country known for its hand-woven carpets, a 17-year-old girl has created a special gift for U.S. President Barack Obama. It’s a carpet that she wove herself -- as a way of praising Obama’s efforts on behalf of her country. She wants to present the gift to Obama personally.

Aisha Rasekh lives in this mud house in Shiberghan, the capital of Jowzjan province. It’s also where she does her weaving. “This is Barack Obama’s picture on carpet which I wove in 8 months and want to present it personally to President Obama,” she said.

Aisha says she wove Obama’s face into the carpet to express her gratitude for the American people’s help and sacrifice. “I want to present this carpet to Barack Obama, the President of the United States, to thank and commend the people of United States for their generous help to Afghan people.” she stated.

In addition to going to school, Aisha is also one of the breadwinners for a family of 10. "My dad is also in carpet business. We are 10 people in family and we all weave carpets," she explained. "We make livelihood out of this.”

Afghan carpets are produced mostly in Aisha’s region, which is in the northern part of the country. They are increasing in popularity in world markets. One Afghan carpet merchant says the popularity increase is due in part to the use of computer-created designs.