My old friend Bashir died July 14, 2008. I learned much from Bashir and we are poorer for his passing. My condolences to his son Hafiz and to his family and many friends.
My friend Bashir is a very holy man. Some might call him a Sufi but I think of him as a Islamic Mystic. Bashir looks at rugs in a very different way than most dealers. The first time I met him he was lecturing at the Textile Museum. He we explaining that many of the finest prayer rugs were woven by men as gifts for their Sufi masters or teachers. This received a rather poor response since the collectors in the audience were not attuned to the idea of men weaving the best rugs, particularly after they invested so heavily in the “Dowry Rug” theory. I was skeptical as well but I went out for tea after the lecture and questioned Bashir at length. My point was that true or not, how did he know. Bashir finally explained that his grandfather was a renowned Holy man and men wove rugs for him. It was not that Bashir was being difficult it was just that he looked at the world so differently that he did not realize what I was asking at first. If you have a chance to speak with Bashir listen carefully and you may learn a great deal from him. Bashir is Moslem and his family owns looms in Kashmir. Bashir also had a restoration facility in Pakistan.
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