 The city of Herat, once a recognised centre for silk production, has lost the craft to the vagaries of war and cheap competition. Eight years have passed since a new future for Afghanistan was mapped out at an international conference in Bonn. But neither that nor any subsequent measure has changed its status from that of the poorest country in Asia. The rising insecurity and lawlessness have further aggravated Afghanistan’s woes.
The country, at the crossroads of the East and West, has been a focal point of trade and migration in the region. Its turbulent history has seen various invaders and conquerors, both local and foreign. From the Anglo-Afghan wars to the Soviet invasion, or the more recent American invasion, Afghanistan has hardly ever seen consistent periods of peace in its recent history. The chaos has damaged the arts and artisan traditions of its hardworking people; years of fighting and drought have nearly destroyed the art of silk production once common in the Afghan villages. The supply of silkworm eggs, once ensured by the Department of Agriculture, has come to a sudden halt. The introduction of factory-made synthetic materials has also replaced the demand for silk products. Many households have been relocated for security reasons, taking with them the knowledge of traditional silk crafts.
But there is one place in Afghanistan that is still struggling to keep alive and revive the ancient silk trade. Herat, located in western Afghanistan, is one of the most beautiful cities of ancient Afghanistan and the third largest city in the country. It was once known as the Pearl of Khorasan as it was the most important industrial hub for grain, fruit, vegetables, and sheep from the surrounding areas. The roads leading from Herat to Iran, Turkmenistan, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar were as important strategically in the ancient times as they are today.
An important stop on the ancient Silk Route, Herat has for centuries lured travellers and businessmen. But today it is fighting to keep alive one of the symbols of this splendid past — silk spun from the delicate cocoons of silk worms. About 120 kilometers east of the Iranian border, the key city in the 14th century Timurid Empire of conqueror Tamerlane, it still prides itself in the skill of producing this precious material.
The industry is now being crushed by competition from China, which has 70 percent of the world silk market and its neighbours Pakistan and Iran. Of the 156 enterprises in the province, few are dedicated to the production of silk and only 100 families make their living from the craft. This is a marked drop from a few years ago.
The traditional method of silk processing is complicated and requires delicate handling. The leaves of the white mulberry tree are used to feed the eggs, which develop into cocoons. The next stage is unravelling the cocoon, when one has to avoid breaking the fine thread that can reach between 300 and 1,500 meters (yards). It takes on an average a dozen employees working eight hours a day, six days a week, to produce 40 kilograms a month of rough silk which can be sold for 40 dollars a kilogram. This thread then has to be treated and refined. It takes between 45 and 50 days for an average family of five people to raise 40 kilograms of cocoons.
Herat’s handful of silk producers find it too expensive to even hope to export to a world market where one can bargain for silk half the price of silk from China and, more often, a Pakistani imitation (polyester) is much cheaper. The artificial silk from Pakistan costs 20 dollars for a quarter kilograms and it is already dyed. Here, four kilograms of silk costs 160 dollars and it still has to be dyed. The weavers find Pakistani thread easier to use. “In one day, we can make three shawls with this material, compared to one with the real silk from here,” says one weaver.
While Herat’s people struggle to keep the ancient silk trade alive, there’s little or no government patronage to help revive it. Though there’s been occasional support from a handful of NGOs, including financial patronage and training in raising silk worms, the dying trade is in dire need of consistent support that can only come from the government. 
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