[ AMAZIGH TRADITIONS ]
Berber rug styles, tribe by tribe
The Berber tribes of Morocco have been weaving rugs by hand for generations, and each tradition has its own style, its own materials and its own symbolism. These are not just objects: they reflect the identity of those who weave them and, at the same time, they are pieces of remarkable technical skill.
beni ouarain
From the Middle Atlas, these are high-pile, densely knotted rugs with the classic diamond motif in black or brown over undyed ivory wool. It is the best-known Berber tradition.
boucherouite
More than a region, these are a technique: woven from scraps of recycled textile, which gives them intense colour and free compositions. They are the most contemporary pieces of the Amazigh tradition.
azilal
From the High Atlas, they combine a pale wool base with colour and abstract line. More loosely knotted than the Beni Ouarain, each piece follows its own design, with no fixed pattern.
boujad
From the plains of central Morocco, they stand out for their warm colour —pinks, reds, terracotta— and their symbolic motifs: stars, hearts and plant-like figures.
marmoucha
An uncommon Middle Atlas tradition. They share the wool and geometry of the Beni Ouarain, but allow for more colour and more variation in the pattern.