Azilal rugs, color and wool for children's rooms and elsewhere
Azilal rugs are a type of Berber rug originating from the Azilal province of Morocco. They are known for their vibrant colors and geometric patterns. While the thick wool Beni Ourain rug is, rightly or wrongly, considered the king of Berber rugs, the Azilal rug is a prince to consider if you want to add a touch of color and cheer to your interior. Popular for children's rooms, the Azilal rug, whether vintage or new, is a must-have in terms of Moroccan craftsmanship. If you want to learn more about these colorful Berber wool rugs, let me take you on a virtual journey to Morocco.
Azilal, first and foremost a geographical designation
Before it was a name for a rug, Azilal was first and foremost the name of a Moroccan province. Located about fifty kilometers east of Marrakech, in the heart of the Atlas Mountains, this province is still home to one of the largest Berber populations in the world. Furthermore, it's important to know that this region was long isolated from the outside world, far removed from the trade routes connecting the imperial cities of the Kingdom of Morocco (Casablanca, Fez, and Ouarzazate). Beyond the Middle Atlas and then the High Atlas, to the east of Azilal lies only the Sahara Desert, its dunes, and its Tuareg tribes. At best, if you're lucky, you might find a palm grove. There, under a Berber tent, Lawrence of Arabia might offer you mint tea before passionately kissing you. But don't get your hopes up too high! This geographical location has allowed it to preserve its customs and traditions. The carpets produced there are therefore, even more so than elsewhere, authentic and representative of Moroccan craftsmanship.
Due to the altitude of this Atlas province, the summer climate in Azilal remains bearable. Yes, we say "in Avignon," so I don't see why we couldn't write "in Azilal"! But the winters are harsh and often snowy. You are here on the western slopes of the Atlas Mountains, the sides that receive the most rainfall. The valleys of the Azilal province are fertile and very well irrigated. Where there are mountains and rain, there are pastures. And where there are pastures, there are sheep. Where there are sheep, there is wool, and where there is wool, there are carpets!
Azilal handcrafted carpets
As elsewhere in Morocco, and in many other parts of the world , we observe that carpet making is primarily a women's craft. In Azilal, as elsewhere, it is the women who knot the carpets. Azilal carpets are knotted on large looms. The warp is made of wool. For new Azilal carpets, the background color is white wool—a creamy white, more or less fluffy depending on the wool's origin. On this white warp, the weavers interweave colored wool threads, creating mostly geometric patterns. However, some weavers occasionally venture into more figurative representations, and it is not uncommon to see stylized figures, animals, or houses on both new and antique Azilal carpets. It should be noted that the Muslim religion does not look favorably upon this type of representation of humans or animals, and this gesture, which may seem innocuous to us Westerners, is in reality a small victory or act of insolence by these women in rural areas.
Compared to a Beni Ourain rug, an Azilal rug is also characterized by shorter wool. The rug remains soft, silky, and an excellent thermal insulator, but it is half as thin and, above all, lighter. This is an advantage for transport. Indeed, in Azilal, some Berber tribes, while not nomadic, change their place of residence according to the season and the availability of pastures. In summer, they live at higher altitudes near their herds, and in winter, they settle lower down in the valleys.
For the women of these rural villages, carpet weaving is a way to build up a dowry for their future bride. It is also a way to transform their free time into wealth that is easy to store and can later be sold in the souk or medina of a large imperial city on the plains.
The Azilal rug: a rug for children's rooms
All these ethno-social considerations might seem a bit pointless and caricatured to you. You're looking for a rug to decorate your home, not a new episode of "Roots and Wings"! I understand! I'm also fed up with these photos of smiling women, despite their wrinkles, showcasing a cheerful and innocent craft. Like: "Look, we're an ethical company, and by buying one of our rugs, you're contributing to the empowerment of Moroccan women!"
The reality is that by buying a new Azilal rug, you are simply contributing to the local economy and providing work for Moroccan women, each with their own story and life, more or less dominated by a still patriarchal society. Don't worry, buying a new Azilal rug doesn't make you a benefactor of humanity! But you are still contributing a little to the economy of the region where it is produced. And if you buy a vintage Azilal rug, and you have a touch of irrational spirituality, then you are acquiring a little of the soul of the woman who, undoubtedly in the last century, crafted this rug from genuine Moroccan wool.
In any case, the Azilal rug is characterized by its vibrant colors and geometric patterns. It will bring cheer and good humor to anyone who enters the room. It's perfect for children's bedrooms. Wool is soft and much less polluting than polypropylene rugs. It's also worth noting that a wool rug is fire-resistant. Wool is not flammable, unlike polypropylene.
Another undeniable advantage of Azilal rugs: As we've already mentioned, they are thinner and lighter than Beni Ourain rugs. Of course, your child isn't going to become a nomadic Berber and certainly won't take their rug any further than the living room or the parents' bedroom. But the other benefit of this lightness is that your Azilal rug will be easier to machine wash on a wool cycle. And for a child's use, that's, let's face it, a huge advantage!
Whether you are looking for a new Azilal rug for the baby's room or you are a compulsive collector of vintage Berber rugs, I would highly recommend that you come and see our constantly renewed collection of Azilal rugs .
Oh, and if you've read carefully and want to go trekking on a wild and romantic tour of Morocco, if you want to meet Lawrence of Arabia, have him take you behind him on his wild steed, and experience a love as intense as it is fleeting and adulterous in his Kasbah in the Valley of Roses, then write to me (bohemianchicinterior@gmail.com). If I get enough requests, I might just write you this adventure in which you are the troubled and willing heroine.