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ABOUT MOROCCAN RUGS AND TEXTILES
Tribal weaving is one of Morocco’s oldest traditions, and grew from the skills of Morocco’s first Berber settlers who have lived in the Atlas mountains for thousands of years.
Berber and Arab tribes - who arrived in the 7th century - still undertake most domestic rural weaving.
Moroccan tribal rugs differ hugely by region and tribe. What unites them is the creative and archaic spirit of tribal art. True old tribal carpets - not copies - will be spontaneous and bold. Some are very plain, others full of complex motifs; some are colourful while other feature soft, subtle natural dyes.
Modernist architects and designers such as Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ray and Charles Eames used Moroccan tribal carpets to contrasr with the often clean and hard lines of 20th century interiors.
Authentic rural carpets were, and still are, made for personal domestic use, to be used as bedding as well as floor coverings, made by women for their own families. In the cold mountains they were woven with a long pile and flexible weave, in the warmer areas in the south they feature a finer weave and a shorter pile.
The best tribal carpets are individual and draw on the weaver's own experiences, weaving traditions and life. Irregularities are common and unmatched patterns were often created on purpose. Colour, originality, old symbols, and a sumptuous earthy aura, mark out authentic Moroccan tribal carpets. Because old tribal pieces are now hard to find, co-operatives have sprung up to supply the market with copies of old designs and reproductions now abound. On the whole we feel that these can be a nice quality, these cannot replicate the creativity and originality of an old tribal piece, created in isolation from most external influences.
You may see a few pieces featuring sequins or ‘mouzouns’. Sequins were valued for their quality to reflect the glow of fire by night and bright sunlight by day and are often to be found on celebration or dowry pieces. Given the fragility of these items, it is rare for very old sequins to survive in a good state.
Old bags are desirable as their small size encouraged fine weaving and intricate detail.
Colour is important in Moroccan tribal weaving and certain tribes favour certain colours. Natural dyes are usually only found in items over 70-80 years old – almond leaves, cochineal, indigo, iron sulphate and cow urine were all used. Both synthetic and natural dyes fade - with older rugs you can be sure that most of the fading has already occurred. Properly used, synthetic dyes can produce just as wonderful results as poorly used natural pigments.
Tribal weaving was almost always undertaken by women, although male master weavers were active in certain tribes.
Textiles were valuable family items, many woven as wedding pieces. In poorer families they were looked after carefully as precious possessions. A good weaving served as a source of pride and brought respect to the weaver.
The "language" of Moroccan Berber weaving is some of the most complex in the world of textiles. Often when a woman wove a rug it wasn’t just for her nor only for daily use. It also served as a means of communication of sorts to be 'read' by her family and neighbours. Well-woven rugs occupied a place in village life, and were brought out for special occasions, weddings, fetes and fairs. Weavings did give messages and contain important signals, thoughts and ideas. These can vary from the symbols seen in tightly woven, balanced geometric kilims through to figurative motifs that appear to tell a story to the seemingly abstract asymmetric designs to be found in loose and pliable long-pile rugs. More often than not symbols make reference to the natural world, to fertility, birth and femininity, to rural life and to nature as well as to spirituality and beliefs. Many weavers believed that rugs had powers to ward off evil and used motifs to keep away spirits.
In rugs woven by tribes nearer to the cities, 19th and 20th century weavings were more influenced by European tastes as well as Turkish and Persian styles, and you can find patterns that are more decorative than symbolic. Rich urban families commissioned or wove pieces that reflected different tastes and which were suited to grand city houses.
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