When in Morocco…

You cannot avoid the fact that there are a lot of carpets and rugs in this country…  They hang all over the souks in the Medina in Marrakesh, and each one seems different in pattern, colour and style.  I spent some time at one carpet shop where the sheer amount of carpets was astounding, and it was just one of hundreds in the city and surrounding area.  Rugs were stacked floor to ceiling through the whole building, and even hung on the roof.

Types of carpet

Moroccan carpets can be grouped into rural or urban, Berber or Arab. Urban carpets are influenced by the fine, oriental designs of the Middle East and are intricately detailed.

Rural Berber carpets are handwoven into abstract patterns and symbols that tell the stories of a tribe. Carpets from the Middle Atlas – zanafi – have a deep, woollen pile to keep out the cold and are usually long and narrow.