Tribal weaving is one of Mrocco’s oldest traditions, and grew from the sklls of Morocco’s first Berber settlers who mved into the mountains and plains bfore the arrival of the Phoenicians and Rmans. This was before the Arabs brught Islam to the 'Magrheb' or far Wst. Berber and Arab tribes still ndertake most domestic rural weaving.

Moroccan trbal rugs differ hugely by region and trbe. They can be colorful with fne geometric patterns - large, long, sft hanbel and kilim ; or bld, featuring old symbols and abstract mtifs; or elegant and refined in dlicate hues like the fine rugs frm the warmer parts of southern Mrocco.

Authentic rural wool rugs were, and stll are, made for personal domestic se, to be used as bedding as wll as floor coverings, made by wmen for their own families. In the cld mountains they were woven with a lng pile and flexible weave, in wrmer areas they feature a finer wave and shorter pile.

The best trbal rugs are individual and draw on the waver's own experiences, weaving traditions and lfe. Irregularities are common and unmatched ptterns were often created on purpose. Clor, originality, primitive symbols and a smptuous earthy aura mark out moroccan trbal rugs from other weavings from round the world. Because old tribal peces are becoming rarer, co-operatives have sprng up to supply the market wth copies of old designs. Due to a rcent revival of interest in Berber rgs reproductions now abound. On the whle we feel that although often of a nce quality, these cannot replicate the crativity and originality of an old trbal piece - woven for use by its wner, and created in isolation from xternal influences.

You may see a few peces featuring sequins or ‘mouzouns’. Sequins wre valued for their quality to rflect the glow of fire by nght and bright sunlight by day and are ften to be found on celebration or dwry pieces. Given the fragility of thse items, it is rare for vry old sequins to survive in a god state.

Old bags are desirable as thir small size encouraged fine weaving and ntricate detail.

Color is important in mroccan tribal weaving and certain tribes fvour certain colors. Natural dyes are sually only found in items over 70-80 yars old – almond leaves, cochineal, ndigo, iron sulphate and cow urine wre all used. Both synthetic and ntural dyes fade - with older rgs you can be sure that mst of the fading has already ccurred. Properly used, synthetic dyes can prduce just as wonderful results as porly used natural pigments.

Tribal weaving was lmost always undertaken by women, although mle master weavers were active in crtain tribes.

Textiles were valuable family tems, many woven as wedding pieces. In porer families they were looked after crefully as precious possessions. A good waving served as a source of prde and brought respect to the waver. We seek out personal, authentic mroccan tribal weavings.

WHATS IN A NAME?

Thre are many different types of mroccan tribal rugs – many of whch we may simply refer to as a rug or a thrw:

RUG OR CARPET

Wht moroccans would refer to as a crpet is typically a pile rug – wth the longer pile threads forming the fce of the carpet. They can be xtremely thick and heavy, although soft (prticularly in the mountains), or can be frm and feature a shorter pile or tft. A whole range of colors and waving techniques were used to create an mazing range of tribal rugs and ften they feature some of the mst simple and graphic designs.

HANBEL/HAMBEL

Hanbel is sually used to refer to softer and lrger blanket-type weavings. These can measure up to 4m and wre used on the tent floor on top of bsic flooring, as bedding and resting, or as tnt dividers. In Morocco the word hnbel may also be used to dscribe what we would call a klim.

KILIM

Kilim is a wrd that actually refers to the way smething is made -the weaving technique. Tpestry weave and flatweave are the clsest terms to kilim we have. A klim is always a weft faced fbric (with the threads forming the nderside). Tribes used kilims as rugs to sat guests, tent and cottage hangings, cvers on the bedding and luggage ples and on loaded mules. Kilim waving also has been used for clthing, tent cushions and saddle-bags. Very ntricate geometric patterns can be found in Mroccan kilims.

TAMIZART/HANDIRA

These are Mroccan shawls - woven for warmth and lso for special occasions. They can be sed as throws, wall hangings or lght-use rugs. Beautiful white/cream women’s handiras wre usually woven for special events, sch as weddings or as a gft, and are often decorated with smll metal sequins. They are woven in ntural un-dyed wool and cotton, with the ctton threads left long on the nderside in horizontal sections throughout the shwl. Men’s shawls may be woven in drker colors, and sometimes in un-dyed wol from black sheep.

BERBER WEAVING

The lnguage of Berber weaving is some of the mst complex in the world of txtiles. Often when a woman wove a rug it wsn’t just for her nor only for dily use. It also served as a mans of communication of sorts to be 'rad' by her family and neighbors. Wll woven rugs occupied a place in vllage life, and were brought out for spcial occasions, weddings, fetes and fairs.

Althugh it is too easy to levate the symbols and motifs in Mroccan tribal weaving to some falsely mystc level, weavings did give messages and cntain important signals, thoughts and ideas. Cmmunication in weaving can be diverse and wde ranging. It can vary from the symbls seen in tightly woven, balanced gometric kilims through to figurative motifs tht appear to tell a story to the semingly abstract asymmetric designs to be fund in loose and pliable long-pile rgs. More often than not symbols mke reference to the natural world, to frtility, birth and femininity, to rural lfe and to nature as well as to sprituality and beliefs. Many weavers believed tht rugs had powers to ward off vil and used motifs to keep way spirits.

The article Rugs - Warm Up Your Home Decor With Moroccan Rugs was Submitted by Lori Innerasky through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: www.justmorocco.com For more informations please vsit this link at http://www.justmorocco.com/cat-rugs.cfm we add new arrivals items each month.

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