Jerry Silverman:

Ivan Sonderholm:  In real life, engineer and head of a Road and Park Department.  Hobby: editor of an online magazine about oriental rugs - Jozan Magazine, 49 years old and collector of Persian rugs. From Copenhagen, Denmark.

Hakan Tazecan: Hakan Tazecan has a degree in archaeology, and worked in Konya for many years. He now lives in Antalya, where he is a dealer in rugs and antiques and restores old houses.

Mehmet and Muammer Uçar: The Uçar brothers are familiar faces at ACOR and ICOC. They own a gallery in Konya, and have a website, Silk Road Rugs . Mehmet also works with natural dyes.

Astrid van Seijen: I have always been working in design, interior mostly lately, and my love for textiles has been from childhood on. My wish is to learn more about all aspects on tribal textiles and its people

My gallery now has a collection of flatweaves and felt rugs from Anatolia, Turkmen torbas , Persian bags and blankets, silk ikat coats, suzani's, Turkmen Tekke silk garments. I can't believe all their beauty. Every morning when I step into my gallery I feel very happy.

Patrick Weiler: After getting an Afghan mat for a present about 15 years ago, I began visiting rug stores and buying rugs. A visit to Jim Opie's shop in Portland, Oregon headed me in the direction of antique tribal rugs. I started a small rug book library with Jenny Housego's Tribal Rugs. For collecting, I prefer the small format of bags. They are easier to store, pack a punch in design and colors and are usually less expensive than full-size rugs. A rug dealer friend has said that no matter how long you have been interested in rugs, something different and interesting always seems to appear.

Gene and Jack Williams: Gene is a retired diplomat, U.S. State, father of two college age sons.  Gene has lived across several continents and now is a consultant based in the D. C. area.  He began collecting rugs in the mid 1970s when stationed for a number of years in SW Asia.  His close friends and companions from that period included the well known zoologist, ethnographer, raconteur, rug commentator, Jerry Anderson.    

Jack is a professional Petroleum Engineer, resident of New Orleans, survivor of the hurricane-flood, and father of two college age sons, one a recent graduate of the US Naval Academy.  He retired after a career in the oil industry and now is an offshore accident investigator for the U.S. government.  His first moth-eaten Baluch rugs were pawned off on him by his brother in the 1970s. 

The picture was taken in Pretot, Normandy.  In June, 1944, Jack and Gene’s father, Lt. Gene H. Williams, was killed in action near Pretot during the Normandy campaign twelve days after the birth of the twins.  Lt. Williams commanded a pathfinder paratrooper “stick,” of the 508 PIR, 82nd Airborne.  See “Williams Album:” http://www.508pir.org/ 

During the 1960s, Gene and Jack both served in the U.S. Special Forces seeing action in Vietnam. 

Peter Winch: I have been buying, selling and collecting rugs since 1978. During the 1980's I combined my work as a freelance journalist with rug buying expeditions to the Pakistan/Afghan border regions, Eastern Turkey and Europe. In 1991 I wrote a basic book about rugs - "A Guide to Oriental Rugs", Kangaroo Press, 1991 - in an effort to offer the Australian buying public an overview of the subject. For the last 10 years I have divided my time between Bruxelles and Australia sourcing old rugs at markets and auctions and selling them to a small group of dealers in the U.K. and Australia and I am now based in Australia. My main interests are 19th Century Anatolian, Kurdish and Turkoman carpets and weavings.

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