Description
This is a brand new hand knotted Moroccan Berber wool rug purchased direct from the Aguerd N’ouzrou Collective near Tabant in the Bouguemez Valley of the High Atlas Mountains. Naturally colored sheep and goat’s wool are used for the earth tones in the background, and a natural vegetable dyed wool is used for the red geometric motif, which is a letter of the Berber alphabet signifying freedom. The type of yarn used here gives a fuzzy texture which feels great underfoot. Everything in this rug is produced in and around the village where it was woven- the wool is harvested, spun by hand, and dyed when appropriate with naturally occuring pigments made from plant and mineral sources. Rugs produced at this collective are a group effort by the women of the village who take turns on the loom as they are available, giving these textiles a unique folk art design aesthetic. No two rugs are alike, and many designs are improvised. This carpet is representative of those which adorn the homes of the Bouguemez Valley (the happy valley) which is a pastoral, idyllic landscape lined with apple, walnut, fig, and walnut groves.
