
Maroc Tribal Blog
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Great blog from Maroc Tribal about all about vintage Moroccan Berber tribal carpets. Renowned online destination for rare & gorgeous vintage Moroccan Berber rugs. Mid-century 'one of a kind' carpets, sourced personally by us
Maroc Tribal Blog
9M ago
The centuries-old Moroccan tribal tradition of weaving has produced carpets for warmth, sleeping, decoration and celebration, wraps and shawls as clothing, and kilims (known in Morocco as ‘hanbels’) for seating, floor coverings and blankets. This weaving tradition also extended to finely crafted tent pillows and cushions
Historically, the important materials for domestic decorative rural life in Morocco were wood, clay, plants - and sheep. Wool was one of the principal resources used to furnish and decorate homes. Pillows and cushions were created for sleeping and relaxing, as well as for add ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
1y ago
Cosy high pile Moroccan rugs, created with thick knots of pure wool, have taken centre stage recently, particularly minimalist cream and brown Beni Ouarain capets. Yet, Moroccan tribes also created an astonishing array of different types of rugs using 'flat weave' techniques and these large and wonderfully distinctive kilim-type weavings were produced by rural families as ‘hanbels’ (the Arabic word for blanket), floor coverings, tent decorations, grain transport sacks, and sleeping mats.
These were intended to be everyday items, and they can be some of the most stunning tribal textil ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
2y ago
Did you know that the concept of what we call a ‘runner’ rug did not really exist in the tradition of rural Berber weaving? Moroccan weavers did, however, create long and narrow rugs that reflected the huge diversity of weaving and cultural traditions of Berber and Arab tribes. These rugs were often created as long seating mats to be used around and up against the walls of long and rectangular Berber rooms or tents. They were regularly used on top of other hand-woven carpets arranged around the room as soft and cosy seating. Long and narrow rugs were also used to protect more valuable carpets ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
2y ago
Moroccan pile rugs have, rightly, attracted a lot of design attention in recent years. Yet beautiful subtle and natural Berber flatweaves have had less of spotlight shone on them. Among these graceful old weavings are the technically complex pure wool pieces that women wove as capes and shawls for them and their family (called handira in Arabic and tabrdouhte or tamizarht in Tamazight)
With on strong focus on stripes, these robes were created to be wrapped around the body for warmth, comfort and decoration. They come from a deeply rural weaving tradition where everything for daily life was cre ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
3y ago
Maroc Tribal has been sourcing original Moroccan tribal rugs for almost 20 years and over that time these textiles have reached international popularity at a remarkable speed. A somewhat small niche market for old, authentic made-for-home Berber rugs has grown into a worldwide design trend. So, when you see something labelled as a vintage rug, how do you know what is behind that term?
With our wealth of knowledge and in-depth insight, we try to concentrate our passion on local, handmade Moroccan rugs which rural people made for their own domestic use. And to source rugs of another era t ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
3y ago
We’ve been collecting pure wool vintage Moroccan rugs in sleek and seductive reds for over two decades now. These were woven many years ago by Berber and Arab weavers. What’s fascinating is that they now seem to pick up on the current interiors renaissance of red tones and the trend for sexy 1970s-inspired décor. These genuine old handcrafted tribal carpets, sourced personally by us, bring a rush of restorative and optimistic red into modern interiors
Rare Chiadma Carpet
The colour red has a deep history in Moroccan rugs: the Zaiane Berber tribes in particular (who were and are based in Centr ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
4y ago
It’s certain that Moroccan Berber rugs can make a beautiful style statement in your home. Yet in essence many genuine old rugs were born of domestic necessity and were hardwearing practical items for simple homes. Moroccan rugs boast a wonderful variety of styles, material and weaves and the truly authentic ones (rather than ‘vintage-fied’ creations woven for western tastes) will carry with them the heart of the place and peoples who skilfully created them for their own personal use, with intriguing variations and imperfections
Of Peoples and Communities
The Berber peoples, while sharing lots ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
4y ago
It might seem strange for a business that sells things to suggest buying less, however it’s a way of summing up how we try to approach treating the planet properly when we source rugs, even though we know there’s more we need to do. We all rely on healthy communities, clean air and rich natural resources, and everyone wants to live in a non-toxic environment, and we care about the impact our business has on the environment.
Broadly speaking we try to be guided by various considerations when sourcing original Berber rugs: the raw materials that have been used to make a rug, if these materials o ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
5y ago
Obsessed with all things Moroccan
Moroccan rugs – particularly one-of-a-kind treasures - are highly sought after and continue their run of popularity across most interior and home decor styles. Provided you pick the right rug. Because, along with their lively reputation has sadly come a slew of fakes, new rugs marketed as old ‘tribal’ pieces, poor quality pieces, poor advice, and rugs that simply aren’t authentic. We care about this because old, authentic Berber rugs - those eccentric, artistically demanding carpets - deserve recognition and credit and their buyers deserve to know that what th ..read more
Maroc Tribal Blog
5y ago
Little works of environmentally friendly art
Morocco is well known for beautiful and original hand-woven Berber wool rugs, with the weaving reflecting the age-old traditions and beliefs of various tribes. Since the middle of the 20th century a new type of iconic rug started to become better known when Berber women started to make a variety of carpets using cheaper recycled alternatives to wool and weaving in new non-traditional and often wildly extravagant styles. This is the Boucherouite rug, (pronounced boo-shay-REET), a word meaning in Arabic ‘a piece torn from used clothing’, or a ‘scrap ..read more