Beni Ourain? Who is it? or What is it?
This story dates back to the Berber tribes from the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The sheep in these mountains are known to produce the best wool in the world thanks to its incredibly soft texture. The term “Beni Ourain” is the name of a collective of 17 different Berber tribes that live in the Atlas Mountains. A rug woven by any one of these Berber tribes would be a Beni Ourain!
Mohamed’s Carpet Shop in Imlil
The wool is sheared from the Atlas sheep before it is washed and spun by the women working in the cooperative. The designs are very geometrical – stripes or diamond patterns. The colours are made from natural dyes like pomegranate peel for yellow, and tumeric for orange. The women have their own palette of colours before they start weaving, using their imagination. It is truly a work of art handed down from mother to daughter, often made for family gifts for special occasions – weddings, births and new homes. With Beni Ourain rugs found in many modern home décor magazines the cooperatives are striving to sell their own rugs commercially. It takes many women to make a rug.
In 2022 I had the opportunity to visit the production center in the Atlas Mountains with my friend Mohamed. Mohamed is a carpet dealer in Imlil, a small village at the base of Mt Toubkal, the highest mountain in the Andes. Imlil is a sleepy little town except in the hiking season where the only taxi you can find is a mule!
I have known Jamal of Toubkal Guide for 10 years and when we started importing carpets from Morocco I asked him to introduce me to the Women’s Coop which makes these hand knotted wool carpets. Mohamed was my man! He works with these women on a daily basis and truly cares about their well being and productivity. One day on a dusty road, in his little truck piled high with carpets, dodging sheep, we reach the modest cooperative in the Atlas Mountains. It is tradition to receive guests with tea and sweets.
Womens Cooperative in the Atlas Mountains!
Many of the women only speak Berber – their own dialect. So I defaulted to the universal language – hand signals. There were 8 -10 women working in 2 sheds on two carpet projects. The Muslim people do not like their photo taken so I asked if I could take photos of their hands as they tied 20 knots per 10 sq.cm blocks. They were happy and having fun as they created these carpets of geometric berber designs.
Handknotted Beni Ourain Carpets - made to order!
Mohamed’s goal is to make their little industry sustainable so both the shepherds, normally the husbands and the women can both contribute to the household income. We are happy to be part in a project like this.
Over the past two years we have commissioned Beni Ourain carpets to our the request of our customer’s size and design needs and Mohamed has shipped them right to their door. This practice of going to the artisans themselves means more profit for the women. We practice Direct Trade!
It means a lot to us and our customers who like to “compliment modern day comfort with old world creations.”
By Corinne Thomson Feb. 24, 2024