Moroccan Amazigh carpets are unique and have a fascinating history as one of the most famous styles of folk art carpets. These carpets have been continuously produced for over two millennia. From the very first example, the weaving of Moroccan carpets was the responsibility of Amazigh women both in terms of creation, weaving and artistic representation.
The women were responsible for preserving and passing on the knowledge needed to make these carpets, including the secrets of family patterns, weaving techniques and the colours to be used. All this knowledge about the history of Amazigh carpet weaving was transmitted matrilineally, with each generation of women being responsible for passing it on to the next. The carpets were used within the tribal groups as house blankets, horse blankets, standards, flags and other utilitarian objects.
For women weavers, weaving is a very strong form of identity and a sense of belonging to the group according to Myriem N. Naji :
"The happiest and most skilled weavers are those who love what they do. This pleasure is a mixture of social and bodily emotions: the feeling of belonging. The sensual pleasure of physical exercise, the feeling of distinction and recognition, notions of virtue and the daily satisfaction of small achievements. It is a peculiarity of the incorporation process that the dispositions and skills, emotions and desires that emerge from the practice appear to be inseparable from subjectivity".
Over the centuries, Moroccan Amazigh carpets have gradually evolved. Eventually, the demand for these carpets began to come from outside Morocco. The carpets began to be considered as very good gifts, with fine examples placed in palaces and important sites throughout Europe and the Near East and works of art. Time passed and soon these carpets were exceptionally popular wherever they were found. Today's renewed interest in these mid-century modern works of art has brought the period Moroccan Amazigh carpets back into the limelight, with the Moroccan long-haired carpet style once again becoming very popular. Today, antique carpets are among the most popular carpet styles on the market.
Moroccan Amazigh carpets, designed and woven by the Beni Ouraian tribes, people of the Atlas Mountains, are one of Morocco's great cultural contributions to the world. These unique and magnificent works of art, with their exciting, energetic and enigmatic compositions, seduce us as much today as they have seduced consumers for centuries. The all-natural process that gives birth to Moroccan Amazigh carpets uses local sheep's wool and local vegetable dyes, making these pieces intrinsically eco-friendly, whose wool can be recycled at will.
Amazigh carpets are part of the famous ethnic weaving of North African tribes. These carpets are among the most prestigious modernist and folk art carpets in the world: "world carpet art". Woven from luxurious hand-spun wool, Amazigh carpets feature bold patterns and textures and are valuable works of art.
The Amazighs, who now number more than 25 million people in Morocco, represent dozens of distinct tribes. Even the famous Beni Ouraian group represents more than a dozen tribal clans (about 17), each with their own dialect of Tamazight and their own style of weaving and patterns.
Moroccan Amazigh carpets from the middle of the last century are as unique and individual as the weavers who created them. The colours, patterns and woven designs are inextricably linked to the remote villages from which they originated.
In the Middle Atlas region, weavers create an astonishing variety of geometric patterns, symbolic figures and plain weave stripes. Amazigh carpets represent a comprehensive repertoire of Moroccan carpet styles that includes flat woven Moroccan kilims, plush long-pile rugs, colourful fleece carpets and chic monochrome rugs decorated with minimalist and abstract motifs.
The beautiful Amazigh rugs of North Africa are as popular today as they were in the mid-20th century, when the elite of European designers discovered their seductive beauty and artistic value.
In addition, old and vintage carpets made by Amazigh tribes are still considerably cheaper than almost all other types of carpets, even those that are new and contemporary. This makes them superb decorative carpets
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