Due to the Armenian genocide, thousands of orphans and refugees were resettled in the Middle East and placed in orphanages throughout the region. One hundred thousand orphans were assisted by Near East Relief, an American-led relief organization. An orphanage run by Near East Relief in Ghazir, Lebanon, housed many such orphans. In the early 1920s, as a token of appreciation for Near East Relief having protected them, four hundred orphaned girls wove a carpet over the course of 18 months. It was intended as a gift to the United States, and was formally presented to President Calvin Coolidge on December 4, 1925. A label on the back of the rug reads, "In Golden Rule Gratitude to Coolidge". This is a reference to the "Golden Rule" campaign: each year, on the first Sunday in December, people in the United States were asked to eat only a one-course meal and contribute the money saved to the Near East Relief.
