Moroccan textile beauties - the rich tradition of handcrafted rugs

The story of rugs’ production in Morocco, types of Moroccan rugs and the meaning behind the designs & colours.

Carpet Production & Usage in Morocco

Carpets have been woven by the indigenous people of Morocco since the Paleolithic period. Perhaps the most important carpet-producing city in Morocco is the ancient capital of Fez. In Fez, saddlers, cobblers, leather-dyers, brass- and copper-founders, and, not least, weavers and dyers of silk, cotton, and wool gathered. At its peak, the city was home to more than a hundred dye workers and thousands of craft embroidery studios, all located in the Old City. Fez reached its golden age during the Marinid dynasty, from the mid-13th to the 15th century.

Moroccan Bedouin and Berber tribes used flat-woven rugs as bed covers, sleeping mats, saddle blankets, and even for self-decoration or as burial shrouds. Some carpets are highly dense with a heavy pile, suitable for the snowy Atlas Mountains, while others are lighter and used in the desert. Berber women from the High, Middle, and Anti-Atlas Mountains still weave with sheep’s wool on vertical looms. In the past, Morocco was filled with establishments for dyeing cotton, wool, and silk yarns with natural colorants. Today, however, most dyeing is done with chemicals, and threads and fabrics are often purchased pre-dyed.

Interestingly, the word “refugee” originates from the French word réfugié and entered the English language through the intertwined relationship between weaving and migration. Traditional handicraft skills are often carried with refugee artisans, workers skilled in trades that involve making things by hand. There is a long tradition of nomadic women spinning and weaving textiles for both everyday use and festivities. The so-called "rug belt" stretches from Morocco through North Africa and the Middle East into Central Asia and Northern India.

Common Types of Moroccan Rugs

Beni Ourain rugs are characterized by the simplicity of both their colors and symbols. Natural white and black sheep yarns are typically used in weaving these rugs. Originally woven by the tribes near the Atlas Mountains, Beni Ourain rugs were designed as warm bedspreads and blankets due to the cold climatic conditions.

Kelim refers to flat-woven (pileless) rugs, usually featuring diagonal motifs and patterns that range from reds and grays to bright, colorful hues. Kilims are woven using a slit-weave technique, the most common method for creating geometric and diagonal patterns. The "slit" refers to the gap left between two blocks of color. Kilims are woven from natural materials, such as high-quality wool, cotton, and animal hair (from horses, camels, or goats) by tribes of the Middle Atlas. The Berber vertical single-heddle loom is used for weaving kilims, rag rugs, clothing, and knotted carpets.

Azilal rugs come from the Azilal region in the High Atlas. Hand-knotted by Berber women, these rugs have a creamy wool background with decorative Berber motifs, often abstract or geometric, in bright, multicolored patterns. This contrasts with Beni Ourain rugs, which typically contain only white and black tones.

Museum of Boucherouite in Marrakesh

Rug Designs - Symbols of “Poverty”

The Museum of Boucherouite Rugs is located in the Medina quarter of Marrakesh. A beautiful riad has been transformed into a space displaying a collection of unique vintage rag rugs, each filled with soul and history. The word Boucherouite (or Boucherwit) derives from the Moroccan Arabic term bu shewit, meaning "a piece torn from used clothing scraps."

Economic, social, and cultural changes in Morocco led to a gradual shift from nomadic animal husbandry to settled farming, reducing the use of wool in domestic weaving. Moreover, Berber craftswomen creating these rugs did not have the luxury of buying high-quality wool yarns. Instead, they primarily used leftover yarn, rag strips, and even their children’s old clothing (post-consumer waste)—sometimes incorporating plastic. This is why every Boucherouite rug has a truly unique design.

Various geometric ornaments are woven into the designs, inspired by traditional Berber rugs, and they symbolize a range of meanings. Diamonds represent fertility, eyes offer protection from evil spells, squares or rectangles symbolize houses or fields, and zigzags represent the community of men or rivers. The colors also carry symbolic meaning: red represents women, yellow stands for men, white symbolizes mourning, blue is for love, and green signifies paradise.

Generally, the designs found in Moroccan carpets are traditional and ancient, passed down from weaver to weaver through generations.

Love at first sight…

I bought this vintage Boucherouite rug in Marrakesh in 2018 from one of the many carpet dealers in the Medina. The tiny shop was filled with mountains of rugs—a true heaven! I was shown several beautiful pieces, but I immediately fell in love with one in particular, which I ended up buying for €90. According to the dealer, it is approximately 20 years old.

When buying such a unique piece of textile, there is a special feeling attached, knowing it was handwoven by women with love, without the original intention of selling it. It also feels meaningful because the rug has "lived" for many years, cherished by another family—and now I have the chance to cherish it with mine.