Machine made
Rugs woven on an electrically powered machines, now usually computer controlled.

Madder Area Rug
A Southwest Asian long lasting plant. A red root of this plant was (and in some places still is) an important source of red dye.

Manufactory Area Rug
Made by hand in a factory.

Mahi Area Rug
Persian for “fish,” this term refers to the Herati design which at times can resemble a fish eye design.

Make
Determines where a rug is made.

Mamluk Carpet Area Rug
Large format rugs with complex geometric design and large medallions, woven in Cairo, Egypt from the 13th to the early 16th

Maintenance
Preservation of the rug by assuring graceful aging, such as wash, vacuuming, and rotation.

Malachite
A green mineral used as a source of green dye.

Mashad Area Rug
One of the key rug weaving centers in Iran, where production began in the late 19th century. Mashad rugs are large, double-wafted, have a red background, and are woven on a cotton foundation.

Medallion
The large centerpiece of the rug, a central point of the design. Most common shapes of medallions are diamonds, octagons, and hexagons.

Medallion-and-corner
A particular design of the rug, wherein a medallion is quartered into the four corners of the rug, plus one full medallion in the center.

Memling Gul Area Rug
Diamond-shaped medallion surrounded with small hooks.

Mina Khani Area Rug
An allover design consisting of two or more flowers connected by a diamond lattice.

Minor Border
One or a few narrower bands on each side of the main border are known as the minor border.

Mir boteh Area Rug
(Persian) A design of small rows of botehs throughout a field.

Moharramatt Ghakanadaani
A pattern which consists of vertical stripes of equal width. Each stripe is different in color from the neighboring stripes and, typically has a different motif (although sometimes the motif may be repeated.) Often seem in Qum rugs.

Morocco Area Rug
Country in North Africa, capital – Rabat. Moroccan rugs are mostly woven for local use or sold to tourists, and have not yet reached the Western markets.

Motifs
Any single form or a group of forms which together constitute an overall design of a rug

Mughal Carpet
Indian carpets produced in the 15th-18th centuries during the ruling of the Mughal dynasty. This period is considered the golden age of carpet production in India.

Multi-Level Loop Pile Area Rug
Yarn loops of different height which create a three-dimensional effect.