Working With Turquoise Mountain

Turquoise Mountain was founded in Afghanistan in 2006 by His Majesty King Charles III in order to rebuild historic communities and generate incomes through heritage and craft.

Since then, Turquoise Mountain have restored 150 historic buildings in the old city of Kabul, trained over 6,000 artisans, treated almost 136,000 patients at their clinics and curated major international exhibitions around the world, from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha to Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

However, four decades of conflict have left the country virtually inaccessible to international buyers. Afghan producers have worked in isolation, cut off from developments in production standards. Alongside Turquoise Mountain, we are working to break this isolation.

Carpet weaving is at the heart of Afghanistan's heritage. Fine, long-fibre Ghazni wool, natural vegetable and mineral dyes, skilled hands, and a variety of regional weaving techniques lend a unique character to Afghan made rugs.

The materials used in our Turquoise Mountain carpets is Ghazni wool. Our supported carpet producers use locally sourced wool from the Ghazni province. This wool is one of the best types of wool for carpet weaving as it is the purest possible shade of white, giving a blank, soft and oily canvas for natural dyes. Turquoise Mountain work with trained wool spinners to spin the yarn so that it can optimally absorb any dyes.

Knots Rugs offer hand-made carpets from Afghanistan, made by the most talented Afghan carpet producers and weavers. From wool procurement and colour matching, to washing and finishing, we ensure that our customers receive the highest quality rugs which guarantee fair wages and working conditions for all of our supported weavers.

Partnering with non-profit organisation Label STEP, Turquoise Mountain is creating jobs for thousands of weavers, most of whom are women. Ensuring a comprehensive set of fair trade standards, including good working conditions, fair wages, the prohibition of child labour and environmentally friendly production. 

STEP also offer access to health services, host group meetings in order to discuss women's rights and international labour standards, ensure children are able to attend school, and they also help female weavers contribute to their community through their work.