the amazigh kilim carpet

 the amazigh kilim carpet is associated with the art of weaving, embroidery, but also with the Berber nomadic art, and the art of the Atlas mountains. The embroidery motifs emanate from the meaning and tattoos of each tribe and family.

Kilims can be made of wool or silk; the patterns, passed down from generation to generation, vary from region to region, as do the colours. A good Moroccan Berber carpet can have up to 480,000 knots per square metre and may require up to nine months of work, for example a Taznakht carpet, an Amazigh sewn pattern with natural colours such as saffron, henna, mint and others.

Reputed among the oldest Berber carpets made in Morocco, the Amazigh Taznakht carpets and those of Zaiane, with the Hanbal from the same region, are today the pride of Moroccan craftsmanship. Originally from the High Atlas, the Taznakht carpet is made of knots on two lines; its background is yellow, its patterns are geometric, dense red, dark green and off-white. The Hanbal is a woven piece, lighter and less thick. Its use differs from one region to another: it is used as a blanket, as a sofa or as a decoration for national or private celebrations. The centres of its production are : Zaiane, Zemmour and Ouazguita.

The raw materials used in this type of carpet are pure wool or good quality cotton. The yarns are distinguished by their sophisticated spinning and cleanliness. Hanbal is mainly red with yellow, green, black and brown. These colours are obtained from plants existing in the region that produces it. Originally Berber, Hanbal necessarily bears motifs that sometimes borrow from nature's shapes and characteristics and sometimes from the Amazigh alphabet. 

The Glaoui hand-woven carpet represents a unique style, it combines in itself all the arts of Amazigh carpet weaving, it is woven, knotted and embroidered at the same time, the threads are stretched on the sides, the Amazighs fold it in half, tie these threads together and obtain a bag for their travels. The colours like the wool are of natural origin.

The carpet of the tribes

The carpet is an art object based on the knowledge of an ancient civilization of peoples who expressed their history, their knowledge through decorative means and artistic expressions, sculptures, poems, drawings, patterns, colors, etc..

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