Najaf Mazari was born in 1971 in a small village near Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. At the age of 12, he left school and apprenticed himself to a master rugmaker. Thus began his love affair with rugs! He fled Afghanistan in 2000, ending up in Woomera Detention Centre. After his release, he settled in Melbourne, Australia, where he now owns a rug shop, selling traditional Afghan rugs. His wife and daughter were finally given permission by the Australian government to join him in 2006 after a 6-year separation. In April 2007, he was granted Australian citizenship. He is a sought-after speaker at schools, literary festivals, community and church groups, and to numerous business groups and non-profit organisations. He founded a philanthropic fund - AusGhan Aid - that supplies health and education aid to remote villages in the mountains outside Mazar-e-Sharif.