The Beautiful History Behind Moroccan Rugs

May 19

Here at Legacy Modern we have a fine collection of stunning hand-woven Moroccan carpets throughout our Showroom! Each one is unique and if you can believe it, tells a story woven within.

Moroccan Rugs are the weaves, carpets, and textiles that have been hand-woven in Morocco. Traditionally, Moroccan rugs have been woven by tribal peoples for their utility rather than for decorative purposes. Twentieth-century Moroccan rugs are widely collected in the West, and are almost always woven by tribes people who do not seek nor possess formal artistic training.

In the historic area encompassing the modern nation of Morocco, the tradition of rug-making is just about as old as it is anywhere in the world. The early adoption of rug-making by native Moroccans is certainly due in large part to the distinctive climate of the region: Moroccan rugs may be very thick with a heavy pile, making them useful for the snow-capped Atlas Mountains; or they may be flat woven and light as to suit the hot climate of the Sahara desert. The nomadic Moroccans and Berber tribes used these pile, knotted and flat-woven carpets as bed coverings and sleeping mats, as well as for self-adornment and burial shrouds. Some of these rugs were also used for as saddle blankets. The designs that most frequently appear in Moroccan rugs are traditional and ancient, passed down from weaver to weaver.

The composition of the Moroccan rug is often dedicated to birth or fertility in general. In many rugs, the sequence of motifs indicates the course of an event. It may then appear as a mirror of femininity and of the phases in the life of a woman.