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Moroccan Rug weaving story

10 Apr 2019
Moroccan Rug weaving story - Benisouk

The process of weaving a Moroccan rug is an ancient tradition; that takes great time and care with human hands instead of modern machinery. Besides, inevitable language barriers, geographical complexities, inclement weather during the drying process, and of course, the imperfect nature of the craft itself mean no machine can replicate a true Moroccan rug. The Berber rug is an important part of the Moroccan decor, inspiring the way you decorate your home.

The morning in the Atlas Mountains

It is 5:00 a.m. in Atlas and you could hear the call to prayer from the room. Birds were already chirping and you can see the dim-dip of candles that comes from every home. There are murmurs of the inhabitants that woke up for prayer, and women that prepare the breakfast for them.

As the sun rises, it reveals looms scattered throughout the countryside. In this location, there were around nine looms, with two or three women seated in front of each one.

Weaving with women

It was quiet in the weaving centre, save for the whispers that came from the smiling women, and the hammering sound of a metal comb used to push down and secure each row of knots tied on the loom. A curious little boy and a smiling baby were there too. Their hands were working and their voices too, they were singing Berber songs with their beautiful feminine voices.

Their understanding of where the lines and shapes start and end is based solely on instinct, a knowledge bestowed upon them by their Berber mothers and grandmothers. All the yarns are hand-dyed and hand-spun using raw wool. They assessed how low they were on certain colours, how they had too much of others. After surveying the yarn, they began to measure the halfway done rugs on the looms.

Ready…

After arriving to the river valley in Khenifra where they do the washing and drying, the sun was getting ready to set. Finished rugs hung like precious wet artwork, some still damp, and others soaked. After the weaving, each rug is brought here to be washed over and over again with water, brushed with brooms, and later hung out to dry in the sun. If it rains for days on end, as it tends to do in the fall, the process slows down because the rugs have to be dried outdoors.

After that, you can see that the rugs are finally ready to be shipped or see which still need time to dry. And watching them working, you could hear the evening call to prayer faintly in the distance.

We wanted to tell the story of the weavers and the washers, the people who live in these remote towns in the Atlas Mountains and work hard at their ancient craft. These rugs are worth the money, the wait, and the design hiccups because they’re intentionally made by human hands.

Moroccan Rug weaving story

Buy a Moroccan rug

If you are looking for a real Moroccan rug with a wonderful story behind it, visit our website click here; you’ll find a beautiful range of Moroccan decor.

Moroccan Rug weaving story - Benisouk

BEST OF HANDMADE MOROCCAN RUGS

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