Online Berber Carpets for sale

The history of textiles and carpet weaving in Morocco started in the 7th century by the local Amazigh (Berber) people, who were making their carpets for centuries. The techniques of weaving rugs especially the knotted ones with Arabian patterns were developed when Andalusian fled in masse to the country. They shared the basics of Persian carpet weaving with the Berber tribes.

Nowadays, there are approximately 45 Berber tribes in Morocco. Each of them uses its carpet weaving approach, coloration scheme, symbols, motifs, and patterns. Moreover, varieties of Moroccan carpets are named after the tribes or regions where they are produced. Such as Beni Ouarain, Tazenakht, Bujad, Oulmes, Beni M’guild, Zayan, and so on.

Moroccan carpets are woven by hand in different areas of Morocco, mainly in the Berber settlements of the Middle and High Atlas Mountains. Below are the main two types of carpets in Morocco.

The production process is completely manual. The material is mostly 100% camel or sheep wool, sometimes with additional cotton. The highest quality wool is the one that is sheared from alive sheep and not from the dead skin. The sheep are usually sheared once a year to get the wool. Then it is washed in the river and dried in the sun, combed and spun into threads, which are dyed according to the old technique with the help of natural materials such as; henna, indigo, iron sulfate, and others. The threads are then wound onto the base of the loom. The next part is knotting the carpet. Here, the talented and expert craftswomen weave and knot the wool threads to make amazing rugs. In addition, the process usually takes two to three weeks and at times months to finish one carpet; several craftswomen can participate in the work alternately.