Iran is a country with high vegetation. In each region and city, in accordance with its different plant species, versatile kinds of mat weaving becomes common. Torghabeh is an area with a distance of twenty kilometers from the city of Mashhad. In this area, Arghavan or Eastern redbud trees grow much more, and therefore mat weaving baskets are created of which the basic material are thin stems of Arghavan tree. This is the reason these weaves are called “Arghavan Bafi”. The stems are gathered during the spring or autumn of each year. One should be very careful when cutting and gathering the stems because these plants are sensitive and a wrong cut can lead to the drying of the tree. After the stems are gathered, they are kept in a wet and damp space long enough to become more flexible for weaving purposes. The craftsmen weave the stems in the form of warps and wefts. Most of these products come in the shapes of circle or oval. The weaver holds the stem by his toes to have a better grip, and by adding or reducing the number of rows, adjusts the size and the texture of the basket. 
Sometimes the stems are boiled in pots so that their colors slightly fades away. The natural color of Arghavan tree is dark brown.  All local people have inherited this craft from their elders and earn their income by making mat weaves and Arghvan Bafi. These mat baskets are quite strong and more durable in comparison with other mat weaves. Before the prevalence of plastics, Arghavan Bafi was more used and it can easily replace the plastic baskets today. They can be washed with water and regular cleansers. Baskets are the most important products of Arghavan Bafi and can be found in many forms: fruit baskets, flower baskets, and baskets for raising rice. There are similar handicrafts in other cities and regions of Iran in which Arghavan stems are replaced by stems or branches from local plants. For example, in Mazandaran, a northern province of Iran, this craft is called “Bambo Bafi”. In Gilan they call it “Morva” or “Cham Bafi”. In Eastern Azerbaijan, “Sousan” tree, in Marand stems of wheat, and in Southern Khorasan, Willow, Prunus and Tamarisk stems are used to make products that look like Arghanvan baskets.