Interviews With Three Master-Weavers

Many customers have asked us about the highly-skilled artisans that make their beautiful rugs. Three highly-regarded master-weavers, currently doing contract work for us, kindly agreed to be interviewed by our staff and took time out from their busy work-days to be interviewed and photographed. Please find their interviews below (note that the interviews were translated from Punjabi by Pak Persian Rugs' staff).

M. Hafeez

M. Akbar

M. Manshah

Interview With Master-Weaver M. Hafeez

1. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

"My name is Mohammad Hafeez. I am 60 years old and married with 4 children. I am from Lahore and currently live in my own home. I have been working as a weaver for about 45 years and am nearing retirement. Apart from my youngest daughter, who is currently in 9th grade, my children (two daughters and a son) are all happily married."

2. How long have you been making carpets and what brought you into this line of work? How long have you been working with Pak Persian?

"I started work at about 16 years old. I was drawn to this field because I like art work. I have been doing contract work for Pak Persian for about 30 years."

3. Did you have any formal training in making carpets? If so, who taught you and what were the basic things that you learned?

"Yes, I had training at the Carpet Training Center under the small industries government of Punjab. I learned basic weaving there."

4. What types of carpets have you worked on in the past?

"I have worked mainly on double-knot, Moghul designs."

5. What are the technical challenges you face when making carpets?

"Sometimes designs can be very intricate and therefore difficult to make. In addition, it is difficult when there is more than one shade of the same color in a particular design. Writing errors in the weaving language also pose problems. Finally, I always have to be careful not to break or cut a carpet's weft or warp during weaving. [Master-weavers tie each individual knot very rapidly, while holding a small scythe in one hand to cut strands of thread - Pak Persian Rugs]"

6. How many hours do you work per day on a carpet? Are your hours fixed?

"I work six to eight hours per day, five days a week. I choose my own working hours."

7. Do you have any favorite designs, qualities, and color combinations?

"I like the Gombud design best, in the 16/16 [256 KPSI] and 20/20 [400 KPSI] qualities."

8. What do you remember as being the most beautiful carpet you worked on?

"There was one 8' x 10' (ft) [02.438 x 03.048 (m)], 16/16 [256 KPSI] quality "Four Seasons" rug that I made a few years ago that was very beautiful because of all the colors used."

9. Are there any designs that you haven't made yet, but would like to make?

"Yes, I'd like to make some designs based on Picasso's paintings and French Tapestry."

10. Are some designs more challenging to make than others? Can you give some examples of challenging designs?

"Yes, some designs are definitely more challenging than others. The four seasons rug that I mentioned earlier had 65 different colors and was quite a challenge to make because of all the different colors."

11. What is the most difficult carpet you have worked on?

"A 6' x 9' (ft) [1.829 x 2.743 (m)] Bakhtiar design in the 30/30 [900 KPSI] quality."

12. What carpet took the longest amount of time to make?

"I made an 8' x 10' (ft) [02.438 x 03.048 (m)] "Four Seasons" rug the 30/30 [900 KPSI] quality that took three years to complete."

13. What design and quality are you currently working on?

"I'm currently working on a 6' x 9' (ft) [1.829 x 2.743 (m)] Gombud rug in the 16/16 [256 KPSI] quality."

14. How long have you been working on this carpet and how long before it is finished?

"I've been working on this rug with a colleague for 2 months so far. It'll take us about another 3 months to complete."

15. Have you taught anyone how to weave in the past?

"Yes. I have taught several people how to read the weaving language. I still help other, junior weavers from time to time."

16. Do you currently have a student that you are teaching?

"Not at the moment, no."

17. What advice can you give to people who wish to become carpet weavers?

"My advice would be to fully put your heart and mind into each carpet you weave. Only then will you see exceptional results."

18. How long does it usually take to become a master weaver like yourself?

"It really depends on the individual's ability and interest, but usually after 5 years of training in the carpet weaving language and different knot types a person is well on their way to becoming a master-weaver."

19. Finally, is there any message that you would like to send to the people who buy your carpets?

"Please learn about carpet-weaving and the materials used in your rugs. That way you will hopefully gain a much higher appreciation for the rugs you own."

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