WEAVING has a strong tradition in Morocco. The desert nomads [Berbers and Tourags] were incredible weavers, well - still are. The Moroccan carpets are legendary. It is very much a family affair with the skills and traditions being passed down through the generations. We were treated to a carpet feast [along with the mandatory sweet mint tea], and a few of our group spent up big on lovely carpets to be sent across the seas.
Eliza fell in love with a rag rug that had been made for purely practical purposes for the family. They wanted rather a lot of dirhams for this wabisabi rug, so it is still there. After a while, the tradition of intense haggling and bargaining became too exhausting for us to cope with - we couldn't even look at an item without being hassled and chased down the street with 'what's your best price?'
Carpets loaded up at a local village market...
Inside the Berber 'show' tent...
...gotta love the patches...
This is an interesting take on weaving...
We visited a workshop for women run by Franciscan nuns in the mountains near Midelt. They were creating fine cross stitch embroideries for export.
