The Rug Master

What is a Rug Master, and who is qualified to be one?

A Rug Master is an expert in all areas of rug knowledge, including rug design, dyes, materials, construction, weaving techniques, import, export, servicing, international trade, rug maintenance, care, cleaning, identification, and more. To be qualified as a Rug Master, you must be an expert in these areas while also carrying on the heritage and business of a family that has worked with rugs for generations.

A Rug Master can look at a Persian rug and know the exact city it was made in and that city’s rug history. They can tell you what type of knot technique was used to weave the rug. They know if it’s real silk or artificial silk. They know the rug’s value. They can discern if the rug was dyed with natural dyes or chemical dyes. No matter your question about the construction of your rug, they can answer it.

A Rug Master knows that fine rugs must be cleaned without the use of machinery. They care for every rug by-hand, using cleaning methods passed down for generations from Old Persia.

Ben Tavakolian is the Rug Master at Behnam Rugs.

For more than three generations, his family has been in the rug business. After receiving technical education in Iran, the heart of the rug industry and home of Persian rugs, Mr. Tavakolian came to America to pursue his undergraduate degree and Masters of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University. He hosts educational seminars and lectures as a trusted source of expertise about all things rugs. Interested in past seminar topics? Check out our events page.

Mr. Tavakolian is well-known in Texas and across the United States for his professional background and passion for these works of art. In the future, he will continue to educate the community about rug ownership as soon as it is safe to meet together again. In addition, he helps settle hundreds of insurance cases every year. We recommend that you get all your valuable rugs appraised for insurance purposes. Insurances companies have honored our written appraisals for market value and replacement value since 1978. Read our appraisal FAQ page to learn more about the benefits of appraisal.