Moroccan Carpets and Rugs 101
Table of Contents
Intro
Moroccan carpets and rugs
(zerbiya) have their distinct tribal identity. This is what makes each of their
handwoven carpets so unique. The majority of the Moroccan carpets sold in
Morocco are produced by one of the approx. 60 Berber tribes mainly living in
or around the Atlas Mountains.
In this post, I’d like to
introduce you to some of the most distinctive designs and patterns of the
Moroccan Berber tribes. I’d also like to provide you with some advice on buying
Moroccan carpets and rugs.
This doesn’t mean that it is only
Berber tribes who produce rugs in Morocco, but the most distinctive patterns
definitely either originate from Berber traditions or have an impact on the
overall rug producing industry. Brief History of Berber tribal cultures and carpet
weaving:
A short history of the Moroccan Berbers:
While the Berbers in Morocco have
their common identity, they can be roughly separated into three distinct
tribes. While nearly all Berbers refer to their language as Tamazight, it’s far
from homogeneous. There are lots of different languages and dialects spoken by
the dozens of tribes.
In the north, the Riffian Berbers
speak a dialect called Tarafit. Riffian is the smallest Berber population in
the country, and they live in the Rif Mountains.
The Middle Atlas gives home to
the Zayanes tribes, who spread from Fes in the north to Marrakesh in the south.
Their dialect, Tamazight, varies from region to region but is usually
understood by native speakers. Some Zayanes, particularly those near
Ouarzazate, are still nomads, traveling with their livestock as the seasons
change.
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| Zayani bride |
The southern Atlas and Anti Atlas
Mountains are home to the Shilhah. The Shilhah is the largest Berber tribe in
the country and is often viewed as having the purest Berber language,
Tashlheit. The majority of Berber films and music are produced in the Tashlheit
language.
While the word Berber is not a
word the natives of Morocco like, as it's now used all across the world as a
common denominator, they have come to terms with it. In Morocco, they prefer to
be called „Amazigh” which means „free people” in the Tamazight language.
The tribes of Morocco have always
resisted the Arabic-Islamic occupation but as they were overpowered, their
resistance remained passive and they were largely assimilated into the
Arabic-Islamic culture. All people from Berber tribes are well aware of their
origins and most of them have managed to keep their language/dialect and
cultural heritage. Thanks to national movements the Berber language is now
being taught in schools.
The cultural heritage of the
hundreds of Berber tribes is very treasured and is an integral part of the
Moroccan cultural heritage.
About the Berber carpets
The handweaving of carpets and
rugs has been a practice that dates back to the Paleolithic period, and the
secrets of this ancient process remain within these communities, having been
passed down from generation to generation
Berber Rugs have always been
produced out of need and not because of artistic ambitions. Berber carpets and
rugs have been produced in a way to suit the location and the lifestyle of the
specific tribes producing them. These rugs are being made using the same
traditional methods, by the women and girls of the tribes, primarily for the
benefit of their own families. Each type of rug produced by a tribe would
reflect that tribe’s own identity, therefore it’s a highly treasured artifact.
Berber artifacts such as carpets, rugs and other goods have only recently
started to gain popularity for the international audience. As travel in Morocco
became hip in the past 20-30 years, this is when international designers and
interior stylists have started importing goods from Morocco, creating a new era
in European interior design. Of course, the birth of online stores also helps a
big deal.
There are about 50 regions where
Moroccan Berber tribes have been producing their carpets for their use and for
sale.
In this series, I’d like to
introduce readers to the most distinctive types of Moroccan Berber carpets and
rugs serving with a good deal of knowledge and information about them.
While they lack the intricacy of
the Moorish carpets, the Berber carpets today are considered a lot more trendy
and most importantly, they cost only a fragment of a Moorish carpet’s price.
Carpet shopping tips in Morocco
Rather visit Morocco to buy your carpet than buy it online: first and foremost, all the
websites are offering Moroccan Berber carpets and rugs at an unreasonably high
( super-high) price. Oftentimes, the Moroccan party receives only a small
fragment of this high price. Therefore, even though you have to pay for the
travel and accommodation it’s still the best to buy a carpet in Morocco. If you
really want to help a tribe with your money, it’s best to buy the rug directly
from them, during an excursion or trekking tour in the Atlas Mountain areas.
But if you have no time or
interest in doing that, ask advice from all around as to where it’s best to buy
carpets. Your hotel may have an agreement with one or more shops who pay a discount for them for their cooperation. The best idea to learn about the
prices is to start in one of the main artisan ensemble shops which will offer
the highest prices for their carpets but they will still be much cheaper than
most of the other stores.
Try to haggle even if you are not very good at it: try to
haggle, and appear not to be too enthusiastic about a carpet or the shopkeeper will not want to
haggle with you. Even though there are shops where haggling is not accepted you
should still give it a try. The non haggle stores generally have some significant signs which would inform customers to not haggle. Haggling will be one treasured memory of your trip and at best you will also manage to buy one or more great carpets or rugs. Also, generally, you have better chances of haggling if you buy more rugs or carpets.
Buy smaller: rugs are easier to carry and also cheaper to post. I would suggest you to try to stick to smaller rugs. If you want a carpet that covers a whole room, make sure you have the correct size and that you are prepared to pay more for postal costs.
Count in the postal cost: Think about the price of posting
too if you plan to get your carpets posted as it can cost plenty of money. The lighter and smaller carpets such as Kilim can be carried inside your
luggage. But a heavier carpet has always got to be posted. For such carpets as
Beni Oulail choose a shop that can help with the shipping.
Take your time if you can: dedicate more than one or two days to choosing your carpet. Do not stick with one or two shops, look around in more shops. Sellers like to abuse tourists, as they know many have only one or two days then they leave.
Popular scams
1. 1. There
will be several shops that would like you to pay more money showing tribal
photos or even live tribal women perhaps handweaving in the store to signal
authenticity. These stores ask a lot of money for their carpets and textiles with
the excuse that unlike other shops they are really helping tribal women. This
is unfortunately not true, do not fall for them, even if you pay more the women
will not get more money all the same.
2. Authentic
handmade rugs are made of wool. A foolproof way to check if a carpet/rug is 100% wool is to hold up a lighter to where you see a loose edge. If it
doesn’t catch fire or it puts itself out that means it's genuine. If it catches fire it’s synthetic. Genuine wool carpets are sold at a higher price so this method can help you
3. There
is no such carpet as an „antique” or a "vintage" carpet when it comes to buying carpets/rugs in Morocco. At best, it's used or secondhand in that case and should sell much cheaper. These terms don't mean the same as they do in Europe or in the US.
4. Last
but not least, for sure all the salesmen know that tourists are a lot more
gullible than locals are, this is why they may not be as likely to haggle as
they normally are. A local guide can prove very helpful in such situations too.
For more shop info check out
MarocMamas shopping tips she is sharing a few good addresses and
some even better advice for those wanting to buy a Moroccan carpet or a rug.
Last but not least ensure you
learn how to clean and learn how to take care of your carpets before it's too late.
I’ve already lost my genuine Moroccan carpet as I didn’t know how to properly
take care of it.
The key types of Berber carpets and rugs
Beni Ourain – the Queen of the carpets:
From: Rif Mountains near Taza,Sefrou
Northeast of the Middle Atlas Mountains
The origin of Beni Ourain tribes
dates back to the 9th century when the tribes arrived from southern regions of
Tunisia or northern Mauritania. Beni Ourain is the name of a Berber
confederation comprising 17 Berber tribes, who are living in the Northeast
mountains of the Middle Atlas, located south of the Moroccan Rif. These tribes
live a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle to this day, living at an altitude of
over 2000 meters. The high-quality wool they use for weaving their distinctive
carpets comes from the wool of sheep they keep. The wool can thank its quality
to the best grass and other greens the sheep consume up in the
mountains. They also provide the rich resource of food they eat.
Handwoven by the tribes of Bein
Ourain, these unique rugs are the ones that are the best fitting to the
current interior design trends. Introducing a simplistic design putting usefulness
first, only thin black lines are being used in a criss-cross pattern, with the
pure white color of virgin wool providing the background. This makes these rugs
look really natural and much appreciated. Beni Ourain rugs are also famous for
their good quality. The use of the highest quality virgin wool was always a
must. The reason for this is usefulness. These rugs provide a big help for the
families during the harsh winter months in the mountains. These carpets are
multi-purpose pieces: they are used as carpets, blankets, and mattresses to keep
the family warm.
It is why these thick carpets
usually come in 400x200 meters size. As this size is often inconvenient for
Western buyers, to suit the demands, the women of Beni Ourain are now weaving
rugs also in smaller, more convenient sizes.
Every single piece of a Beni
Ourain rug is considered one of a kind.
These high-quality rugs have
really conquered both European and American interior designers, especially in
the past 10 years. This rug is the thickest and heaviest of all Berber rugs.
Zanafi Rugs
The Zanafi rugs look surprisingly
trendy for the modern consumer. They perfectly fit in today's trend. For this
reason, they are highly used by interior designers all over the world. Their
thin and light nature makes these easy to clean and carry. The natural look and
simple style make them attractive. Up until recently the Zanafi carpets were
not very popular and were rather considered a choice for the moderate customers
who couldn't afford to pay a high price for a rug.
Thanks to the weaving technique used for this carpet style, you can spot a raised pattern in its decorative geometric lines. This makes the Zanafi carpets look very appealing and unique at the same time. The Zanafi carpets are most often unicolored. They also have long fringes at both ends. The earthly colors used in their weaving also fit into today’s customer's love for natural, earthy colors. These include lighter shades of gray and beige.
Azilal : the most ancient abstract types of carpets
Location: located in the remote region of the Azilal in the High Atlas Mountains, south of the
city of Beni Mellal and about 180 km northeast of Marrakech.
Azilal rugs look fantastic.
Everyone who’s seen one will surely agree with this fact. This makes the Azilal
style carpet one of the most popular styles in and outside of Morocco. Azilal style is easy to identify, thanks to
its unique freestyle patterns. The design of these rugs is unique and every
single piece looks different. Azilal rugs are thick and durable but they are
not as thick as the Beni Oulal type of carpets. These carpets are handwoven
using a centuries old technique preserved by the region's tribes. They use
alternating patterns starting with the knotting of one or two lines woven from
raw virgin wool in line with a traditional ritual passed down from mother to
daughter for generations. Azilal carpets look funny and modern at the same
time. Their design is proof that abstract art has always existed in the
imagination of humankind. The patterns are always meaningful: they can
represent a family tree or lifeline, and they can show events, such as marriage,
giving birth, and more. While Azilal rugs are mostly white or light beige, the
decorative lines are colorful. This makes their appearance bright and happy.
One subtype of Azilal Rugs is the
Ourika rugs produced by the Ourika tribes which are located more south in the
high Atlas mountains.
Boucherouite: not your ordinary rag rug
Location: Beni Mellal
The colorful Boucherouite rugs
represent the Moroccan way of recycling and upcycling. This carpet style is
produced by the women of the poorest rural tribes living in the regions of Beni
Mellal, who use all sorts of leftover and recycled materials and textiles for
weaving their rag rugs. With the use of the so-called knotting method, the
tribal women in the Beni Mellal region have been weaving all the materials
together to create their warm and durable rugs. Due to Boucherouite being the
choice of the poor, this style was not sold up until recently when a European
artist discovered it. Since then Boucherouite carpets are the stars of multiple
carpet stores both off and online.
Boucherouite is also considered
one of the funniest, most colorful, and most unique Moroccan style of carpets or
rugs available in various sizes. They are also the cheapest type of rug.
As for their decorative patterns,
many of the Boucherouite carpets feature the lozenge pattern (squares) existing
since the monolithic times.
The only downside of this rug is, that they are mainly made out of synthetic materials.
Kilim: the trademark Moroccan rug
Kilim is the archetype of the
Moroccan Berber carpet industry. It made Moroccan rugs worldwide popular. The
word Kilim or Kelim references the style of weaving: with Kilim, the decorations
are not handwoven into the carpet. The women weave a uni-colored thin carpet. Once
it's ready the decorative elements would be embroidered on the carpet using
various traditional Berber embroidering methods. The color used for the base
depends on the exact tribe weaving the carpet. The main material used is either
thin wool or silk.
Kilim is made to be used for a
warmer climate. They are similar to the rugs nomadic desert tribes/Touaregs
have been using for centuries to cover the entire floor of a tent.
Kilim carpets are colorful and
unique. They are one of the most widely sold types of rugs with their
embroidered symbols often telling a story or introducing a family’s or a
person’s history. The decorative elements used are always unique to a tribe or
a family.
The Kilim type of handweaving has
become so popular that today there are lots of artisans worldwide, who produce
Kilim style rugs. Kilim rugs are being handwoven with the use of the tapestry
method which makes them generally a very light yet durable fit for traveling.
If you are looking for a rug that looks unique and is easy to clean and carry,
then this type of rug is for you.
Beni Mguild
Location: Midwestern High Atlas
It is another distinctive style
that is becoming very trendy in European and American interior design is the
carpet style made by the tribe of Beni Mguild. This type of carpet is made to
be thick to help endure the harsh weather conditions in the upper slopes of the
Atlas Mountains. The carpets are made out of deep pile wool. When the summer
comes the families flip the carpets over to use their flat side, which is less
warming. Featuring vertical knots paired
up with the distinctive square shapes creating a nice, decorative pattern this
carpet style is among the more intricate. The colors used are bright, often
rich in red, brown, purple, and blue.
Boujad: colorful and traditional
Location: Khouribga Central
Morocco
The Boujad or Boujaad style of
carpets is famous for their often intricate designs and lively colors. Their
decorative elements mostly consist of a wide variety of geometrical shapes
(square, diamond, star) without symbols or other decorations. Their price and
quality depend on the richness of their decorations. The colors used are
mostly red, pink, purple, and blue. They are available both in thicker and
thinner variations. They feature unique Berber symbols which are often used to
deliver a story or a message. Their thematics can be mysterious and the pairing
of the symbols can often result in a surprisingly modern look.
Taznakht
Location: Glaoui
This is a lesser-known style but
it’s all the more unique in its beauty and colors. The Taznakht rugs have a
rare three-dimensional nature to them. The secret is in the weaving style and
the types of wool used in it. These generally are made with the implementation of
three distinctive weaving styles: flat, knotted, and embroidered. This technique
makes some of the lines really stand out, making it 3 dimensional. The
decoration used is geometric, a mixture of lines, and square shapes of all kinds.
Finishing thoughts
Check out more examples in my Moroccan Carpet Pinterest board:
Please also note NONE of my pins are related to any carpet stores or sales sites. In fact, I find those pins very annoying.
If you like this post please feel free to share it.
If you want to learn more about the Berber symbolic language that's being used on most of their carpets check out my related post on Berber Symbols
Special thanks to Marocmama who has right now the best and most informative website about Morocco.
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