The Amazighs have lived in Morocco for more than five millennia. The origin of carpet weaving by the Amazigh populations also goes back several millennia. The Amazigh carpet is emblematic of the culture, these carpets are handmade by women, their patterns and meanings are part of a very old tradition. The hand-spun fabric they created bore the name of the tribe concerned, and they used natural fibres to create coats, rugs and other fabrics.
Amazigh carpets originated in the Middle Atlas Mountains and the plains around Marrakech. It is said that their origins date back to the 2nd century B.C. These carpets are the traditional rural art practiced by the women of nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples. They are made from the virgin wool of the sheep and goats of their herds. The women make them during their rare hours of leisure to use them as mattresses and blankets. It is their most precious possession and their pride. In short, it is their work of art through which they have been able to express their creativity.
At the time, the loom was considered an animated being that was revered and feared. Empty, it was dead, but as long as the threads were taut, it was alive. Men were forbidden to use it. When it was time to remove the carpet from the loom, the women sang because it meant death and the need to mourn.
The indigenous Amazigh people created a specific knot called the Berber knot. It should also be noted that unlike oriental carpets, they are never made according to a model but according to the wishes of the woman who makes them.
The lines represented on the carpets evoke symbols found in rock art. The latticework, the diamond and the X succession each evoke in their own way femininity, mating and procreation.
The Berber carpet has long been despised and copied without any consideration by European industry. It was not until the 1900s that several artists took an interest in it and gave it back its full value. In particular Paul Klee's paintings with geometric forms and the integration of these forms in the architecture of Le Corbusier. Henri Matisse (1869-1954) called them the "white giants".
In recent years, they have experienced a boom, particularly the carpet of Beni Ouarain. All brands of decoration make copies and sell the carpet "Berber style". Faced with this popular success, many Amazigh carpet experts share Timothy Wealon's thoughts:
"I don't see them as a passing trend, but rather as a decorative element that will always be present in interior design".
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