Harriet Sandys

In her early 20s, Harriet Sandys travelled alone to Afghanistan to see for herself the plight of the refugees. Having trained as an oriental carpet restorer in London, she spent her time in the bazaars and learnt to speak Dari. Over the next fifteen years, she would travel alone across the Middle and Near East, sourcing textiles for her oriental carpet restoration business and starting a silk weaving project for refugees in Afghanistan. She now runs her own business selling oriental textiles in the United Kingdom. She is well versed on silk ikat and oriental carpets and has spoken at the Society for Oriental and African Studies and the Royal Society for Asian Affairs.