Arif Bektashi Rauf oghlu was born on January 12, 1947, in the city of Nakhchivan.
From 1965 to 1971, he studied at the Azim Azimzade Azerbaijan State Art School.

He worked at the Baku City Advertising and Design Department from 1979 to 1983, at the Museum Artistic Design Department from 1983 to 1986, and at the Azerbaijan Artists’ Fund from 1986 to 1990. Since 2005, he has been working at the Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC).