Berber rugs of the Ourika Valley: types, quality and fair buying

• The main types explained: hanbel, boucherouite, Azilal, Beni Ourain, Glaoua
• Simple checks for wool, dyes and weaving quality
• Bargaining etiquette that respects the weaver
• Options to carry or ship your rug home

Berber rugs are hand-woven rugs of wool, cotton or recycled fabric made by Amazigh women in the villages of the Atlas, at home or in cooperatives, and sold in shops along the Ourika road and in the souks of Marrakech. Five families are the most common. Hanbels and kilims are flat weaves without pile, thin and easy to fold. Boucherouite rugs are woven from strips of recycled fabric. Azilal rugs, named after a province of the central High Atlas, have colourful motifs on cream wool. Beni Ourain rugs, from the Middle Atlas, are thick, undyed and marked with dark lines. Glaoua rugs mix flat weave and knotted pile. Quality shows on the back: small, regular knots and sharp motifs mean a denser rug. Prices are rarely marked and vary widely with size, material, density and age; cooperatives usually have fixed prices, while bargaining is expected in shops.

Rugs are the craft people most often want to take home from Morocco, and also the one where visitors feel least sure of themselves. A little knowledge changes the whole experience.

Who weaves Berber rugs?

In the Amazigh villages of the Atlas, weaving is traditionally women's work. Rugs and blankets were first made for the family: to sleep on, to sit on, to keep out the cold of mountain winters. Patterns and colours carry the identity of a region or tribe, and many weavers work from memory, without a drawing. Today, weaving is also an income, sold through family networks, shops and women's cooperatives. For more about village life and the place of women's work in the valley, see our page on the people of Ourika.

Shops on the Ourika road sell rugs from the valley and from other regions. There is nothing dishonest in that, but it is worth asking where a rug was made and by whom.

What are the main types of Berber rugs?

Names are used loosely in shops, so treat these as families rather than strict labels.

Hanbel and kilim: flat weaves

A hanbel is a flat-woven rug or blanket, without pile, close to what many people call a kilim. It is thin, light, reversible in many cases, and often decorated with bands and geometric motifs. Flat weaves fold small, which makes them the easiest rugs to take home.

Boucherouite: rag rugs

Boucherouite rugs are woven from strips of recycled fabric and old clothes, sometimes mixed with wool. They appeared from the middle of the 20th century, when families with little money began to recycle worn clothes and household linen. They are bright, cheerful and improvised, and each one is unique. They are softer underfoot than they look but less hard-wearing than good wool.

Azilal: colour on cream wool

Named after the Azilal province in the central High Atlas, these are pile rugs with a cream or white wool base and free, colourful motifs, usually with a shorter pile than Beni Ourain rugs. They are often more playful and less symmetrical than older tribal designs.

Beni Ourain: thick and undyed

Beni Ourain rugs take their name from the Beni Ourain (also written Beni Ouarain) people of the northern Middle Atlas, in the mountains near Taza. They are thick pile rugs in natural cream wool with dark geometric lines, often forming diamonds. The thick wool suits cold mountain winters, and it makes them heavy. They are widely collected and widely copied, so be curious about the wool and the weaving.

Glaoua: mixed techniques

Sold under the name of the Glaoua (or Glaoui) of the High Atlas, these rugs are usually described as mixing flat-woven sections with areas of knotted pile, and sometimes embroidery, in the same piece. The result is textured and dense. The name is used loosely in shops, so ask how the piece was made.

Wool or cotton?

Most traditional pile rugs are sheep's wool, sometimes on a cotton warp (the lengthwise threads). Good wool is springy, slightly waxy from its natural lanolin, and ages well: dirt stays on the surface and the pile recovers after being walked on. Cotton is used in flat weaves and in cheaper pile rugs; it is lighter and easier to wash but flattens and stains more easily. Some modern rugs use synthetic yarn. They are cheaper and brighter, which is fine if you know what you are buying.

Natural or synthetic dyes?

Traditional dyes come from plants: madder root for reds, henna for brown and orange tones, indigo for blues, pomegranate peel or bark and weld for yellows and oranges. A paper by Khalid Loukid, of the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets in Marrakech, describes how Amazigh women pass these recipes from mother to daughter, and notes that the carpets of the Haouz, the region of Marrakech, are known for their madder reds. Natural dyes give softer, slightly uneven colours. Synthetic dyes, which spread in Morocco from the late 19th century, are brighter and more even, and you will see them on many of the rugs sold today. Neither is a fault, but a seller who claims "all natural dyes" on a very bright rug deserves a friendly question or two.

How do you check the quality of a Berber rug?

• Turn it over. The back shows the weaving as it is. Clear, sharp motifs on the back and small, regular knots usually mean a denser, better rug.
• Lay it flat. A good rug lies flat on the floor, with straight sides and no waves or curling corners.
• Press the pile. Wool should spring back. Pile that stays flattened is thin or synthetic.
• Look at the edges and fringes. They should be firmly finished, not glued or loose.
• Test for colour run. With the seller's permission, rub a damp white tissue on a coloured area. Colour on the tissue means the dye may bleed when washed.
• Smell it. A strong chemical or damp smell is worth asking about.

To train your eye before you buy, the Dar Si Said in Marrakech houses the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets.

Prices and bargaining with respect

We will not give you prices here, because they vary enormously with size, density, material, age and the shop itself. A small rag rug and a large, dense wool pile rug are not in the same world. What we can give you is a way of dealing that respects the weaver's work and your budget.

Decide your budget before you go in and tell the seller the size and style you want, so you are not shown fifty rugs you do not need. Accept the tea, take your time, and ask for the price of the rugs you like. If a cooperative has fixed prices, there is no bargaining. In a shop, it is expected: make a reasonable counter-offer, stay relaxed and friendly, and meet somewhere in the middle. Do not make an offer you are not ready to honour, and remember that a very low price means very little for the woman who spent weeks on the loom.

Our guides are happy to come in with you, translate and explain what you are looking at, but the choice and the price are yours. More tips on fair buying are on our cooperatives and villages page.

Getting your rug home

Flat weaves and rag rugs fold small and go in a suitcase. Pile rugs can be rolled or folded and tied tightly; many shops will wrap them in a strong sealed bag that you can check in as luggage. Larger rugs can be shipped by the shop. If you choose shipping, ask for a written receipt with a description, the size, a photo of your rug and the shipping method, and keep it until the rug arrives.

Adding a rug stop to your visit

Rug shops line the same stretch of road as the potteries and the argan oil cooperative, so a stop is easy on our Ourika Valley day trip or on a private cooperatives and villages tour. Tell us in advance if rugs are a priority and we plan more time for them.

Sources

• Wikipedia (French), Tapis berbère (women weavers, Beni Ouarain, Azilal, boucherouite, hanbel)
• Wikipedia, Kilim (flat tapestry-woven rug without pile)
• Wikipedia, Azilal Province
• Khalid Loukid, National Museum of Weaving and Carpets (Dar Si Said), Traditional Dyeing Techniques in Moroccan Amazigh Textiles, ICOM Costume committee (dye plants, transmission from mothers to daughters, synthetic dyes since the late 19th century)
• Wikipedia, Moroccan rugs (Beni Ourain, near Taza)
• Wikipedia, Dar Si Said (National Museum of Weaving and Carpets, Marrakech)