Najaf Mazari

Najaf Mazari (born 2 July 1971) is a Hazara Afghan-Australian rugmaker, and author of the autobiography The Rug-maker of Mazar-E-Sharif, detailing his escape from Afghanistan and his settlement in Australia.

Early years Mazari was born in Sharshar, a village in Northern Afghanistan, near the Hindu Kush mountains. He was born into a Hazara family, and was initially a shepherd, before moving to Mazar-i-Sharif at the age of 12 to learn rug-making under a master rug-maker. He learnt the trade, and became a master himself, although he faced persecution due to being Hazara. After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996, the Hazara population of Mazar-i-Sharif were expelled, and two of his brothers were killed. He was beaten and tortured before going into hiding.

Asylum in Australia

After he was injured due to a rocket attack, he made the choice to leave Afghanistan for his own safety in 2001, leaving behind his wife and daughter. Traveling via Pakistan and Indonesia, he managed to board a boat with 95 other people to seek Asylum in Australia as a refugee. He was initially detained at Woomera Detention Center in central South Australia. He was then granted a Temporary protection visa, settling in Melbourne.