Wedding Blankets

We often get hold of old vintage shawls and wedding blankets like this one, and I was fascinated to see some film footage shoot in the 1980s at a Berber wedding. Just take a look at the women wearing their sequinned shawls :IWF!. The site is not in English, but just play the film on the right of the site for a trip into a Berber world.

maroc tribal

Although lots of the attention given Moroccan tribal rugs is focused on the huge white Beni Ouarain carpets, some of the lesser known tribes have woven some of the most stunning carpets in the country. For instance, this piece is from the Rehemna tribe (who lived and wove near to Marrakech), and it couldn't be more different - in style, motifs, colour and create energy - than a simple 'abstract' Beni Ouarain.

Maroc Tribal

Did you see the Beni Ouarains used in March's edition of Elle Decor? The style magazine shows how moroccan tribal carpets look so right in contemporary interiors.

A newer Beni Ouarain with very simple lattice pattern. Older Beni Ouarain carpets have more complex and detailed designs, often with motifs and a less symetrical layout. This is very think and heavy, and weighs about 25kgs!

We're waiting for a couple of older "Benis" to wing their way from Morocco to the UK, tracked down on our last trip there.

Tracking down Beni Ouarain carpets

Beni Ouarain carpets are the lovely, lush, creamy brown and white Berber carpets so sought after for contemporary settings. This is a vintage one.

Each year the real thing - woven individually at home rather than in a workshop - are getting harder to find. You can see ones like this on maroc triibal. We found this on in a small town in the central Middle Atlas - and snapped it up. We found four more during the same trip, and have just picked up another.