BERBER RUGS
ALMA NÓMADA BERBER RUGS
BACK TO BASICS, appreciate authenticity and simplicity
From 100% natural sheep wool, natural colors, design and manual weaving loom...
We are sellers of unique, high-quality rugs and curators of exceptional vintage rugs throughout the Atlas, carefully selected and restored with the utmost care and affection in collaboration with cooperatives and women artisans from different tribes and areas of Morocco.
We believe in the traditional and the essential, and to be able to transmit all its value to future generations, there is nothing better than making known the essence of the authentic and the artisanal, knot by knot, promoting and giving the protagonism that exclusive products should have, essential and natural.
All pieces are handwoven on traditional Berber looms. Our fundamental task is to promote and disseminate the splendor of this ancient technique and to be able to offer our customers all its quality and beauty.
The rich tapestry of Moroccan culture is most vividly expressed through Berber carpets. Every fabric, every knot, tells a story, a story woven into the very fabric of Moroccan tradition. In this text we will immerse ourselves in the vintage beauty and distinctive styles of Ouarain, M'Guild, Mrirt and other Atlas tribes, discovering the secrets behind these exquisite creations.
In addition to these well-known styles, the Atlas Mountains are home to a myriad of tribes, each contributing their unique voice to the chorus of Moroccan rug making. From the understated elegance of Beni Ourain to the bold, abstract designs of the Azilal tribe, these rugs are as diverse as the landscape from which they originate.
Be part of our tribe
Explore our exquisite collection: dive into the world of authentic, handcrafted Berber rugs and discover a piece that speaks to you.
Don’t just admire the beauty of Berber rugs – make it yours. Berber rugs are a statement of a free, authentic, simple lifestyle…
Beni Ouarain
The Berber Beni Ouarain rug is one of the best-known Moroccan rugs, highly sought after by interior designers for its geometric patterns and colors.
A thick 100% wool rug, a creation of the Beni Ouarain tribe in high wool.
Origin of the Beni Ouarain rug
Beni Ouarain rugs are handcrafted Berber rugs originating from the Taza region, located in the Middle Atlas, northeast of Morocco.
Functions
Initially, these traditional and thick carpets had two main functions, first was to protect the Beni Ouarain tribes from the extreme cold caused by the Taza corridor. Larger rugs were placed on the floor of the Berber tents, forming a barrier against the cold. The smaller sizes served as cover during freezing winter nights. The second function was financial. Carpets served as bargaining chips when tribes went through difficult times, and as dowries at weddings.
Rug design
An ancestral conception provided by the Berber women of the Beni Ouarain tribes.
A traditional know-how that artisans pass on to their daughters.
Even today, these rugs are made on the same looms. The structure (the warp) is made using the kilim technique with particularly resistant wool. The design is woven from knots into knots of very dense high wool. A technique that allows you to obtain very soft and dense carpets.
Before using or storing them, they are intensely rubbed and washed, enhancing their incomparable softness.
Specific tribal motifs
The tribes of Beni Ouarain remain far from other Berber tribes, a reality due in large part to very steep mountainous terrain.
A situation that explains reasons very different from the decorative influences of other tribes. Isolated in the northeast of the Middle Atlas, the Beni Ouarains compose asymmetrical geometric patterns, minimalist designs where we find lines, diamonds and triangles woven into knots tied in virgin wool.
Exceptional wool
The wool comes from the Marmoucha breed, a resistant sheep whose wool is characterized by reflections of ivory and gold. A rare wool that explains the value of the rugs.
Both the quality of their wool and the quality of their manufacturing make them exceptional rugs and a sustainable and environmentally friendly artisanal production.
Beni Mguild
The Beni Mguild collection is made up exclusively of 100% handcrafted rugs.
Beni Mguild rugs are generally intense colors with an incredible play of depths
Carpets from the Berber tribes of the Middle Atlas, handwoven by the women of Beni Mguild and its surroundings, playing with color gradations accentuated by layers of wool resulting in a very harmonious depth.
Origin of the Beni Mguild rug
Beni Mguild carpets are Berber carpets originating from the Beni Mguild region in the Middle Atlas. Geographic location between the Moulouya valley and the plateaus that form the south of the city of Meknès.
Rug design
A job reserved for Berber women.
The warp is woven using the kilim braiding technique, very tight stitches in order to obtain a high density to guarantee resistance. In a second stage, the weavers work with high or medium wool stitching (depending on the season), making the rug warm and comfortable.
Tribal Motifs
The basis of the patterns that make up Beni Mguild rugs is the search for tones of a base color. This is how we find rugs with rich colors according to the seasons.
It is common to find symbols in the weave of the knots, scattered here and there, or geometrically covering the entire carpet.
Both the quality of their wool and the quality of their manufacturing make them exceptional rugs. Sustainable and environmentally friendly artisanal production.
Beni Mrirt
The Berber Beni Mrirt rug is certainly one of the most sought after Moroccan rugs.
Its design quality, exceptional wool, natural tones, soft and fluffy thickness and geometric patterns make it a true work of art coveted by all interior designers and collectors around the world.
Origin of the Beni Mrirt rug
Beni Mrirt rugs are handcrafted Berber rugs originating from the Beni Mellal region, extending to Khenifra, a steep region located in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
Initially, these rugs had two functions.
•The first was to protect themselves from the extreme cold of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Thus, the larger rugs were placed on the frozen floor of the Berber tents, forming a barrier against the cold. The others, smaller in size, were used as cover during freezing winter nights.
• The second function was the creation of capital. In fact, carpets could serve as bargaining chips when tribes were going through difficult times. But they would also be a dowry at weddings, thus estimating the family's wealth.
Carpet design
The wool warp is traditionally woven (kilim type) and the patterns are made on fabric with dense and long knots.
Once finished, the rug is subjected to special rubbing and washing, giving it extreme softness and smoothness.
Tribal Motifs
Carpets from these regions are 100% wool, both in the weaving of their structure (the warp) and in the knotted wool patterns. These beautiful Moroccan rugs take between 5 and 8 weeks to make, depending on the complexity of the pattern.
The quality of the design, exceptional wool from the Ziyan breed, natural tones, soft and fluffy thickness and geometric patterns make it a true work of art.
Kilim
Kilim Rug
Or Klim, Kelim or Hanbel
The name Kilim is widespread, but its definition remains vague.
In reality, Kilim is a weaving technique, excluding knots.
A widely used technique, it consists of using cotton to make the warp and wool for the weft. This allows for a more or less dense weave while maintaining lightness. Nomadic desert tribes prefer kilim rugs. Light and practical, they are perfect for nomadic life.
Carpet origins
The origin of this weaving technique is, without a doubt, the oldest, we are talking about 10,000 years. But its birthplace remains hypothetical, perhaps Mesopotamia, and then nomads transmitted it over time to Central and East Asia.
This is how Persian rugs are referred to as "Kilim".
The Moroccan Kilim
Likewise, Berber weavers acquired this technique around the 17th century. Allowing you to create very colorful patterns and maintain great lightness.
Today, they can be found everywhere, on the floor, on the wall and even as curtains.
Azilal
Azilal's colors
Azilal Carpet is very popular nowadays.
A little less classic than beni ouarain, also a little cheaper because its wool is finer to let the patterns show, it's one of the best decorative choices at the moment! Infinitely customizable, the Moroccan azilal rug is and will always be a unique piece!
Azilal Berber Carpets from the province of Azilal, located in the High Atlas in Morocco, continue to be produced by hand on traditional looms in the Berber style.
Each example is unique and is increasingly sought after by decorators around the world.
Much sought after for contemporary environments that simultaneously combine a bold and elegant style, given the simplicity of the colors and geometric shapes reproduced by artisans on a “plush” base, always white or cream, where only so-called clean wool is used.
Due to their colorful and irregular geometric shapes, we think they are the perfect rugs for a children's room.
