Berber Carpets

Thread, wool, fringes, pompoms... Of all the forms of craft expression, it is the technique of hand weaving that moves me most. I cannot resist fine cotton fabrics and silky linens... as for carpets, I am truly mad about them!

I’ve opened up to all horizons, styles, and colours. My only selection criteria are quality, originality, and charm. I sell old, new, colourful or ecru, bohemian or designer-style carpets and kilims.

I select most of them myself and have others produced by a women’s workshop in the Sahara region. Pompon Bazar loves the work of weavers from all regions of the world but I’ll confess I am particularly attracted to Berber productions. But do you know what a Berber carpet is ?

What Is a Berber Carpet ?

The Berber are a people occupying a vast territory in North Africa that stretches from Morocco to Egypt. The first carpets designed by this people, who were then nomadic, date from prehistoric times.

The Berber carpet is feminine: women from rural tribes did not participate much in collective life. The carpet thus became their preferred means of communication and creation. Within the intimacy of their home, for generations, they related their life stories and private lives.

While the carpet is a message, it is also the expression of a very strong cultural identity: the wool, weaving techniques, colors, and geometric figures differ from one tribe and from one village to the next.

For Moroccan Berbers, the names attributed to the styles of carpets correspond to the names of the tribes who create them. We regularly make many of these pieces available.

The most famous of the Berber carpets is the Beni Ourain, characterised by an ecru background with brown or black geometric lines. More recently, variants of Beni Ourain rugs have developed with geometric lines in bright colours.

Carpets with designs that are very similar to the Ben Ourain ones are also derived from the Mrirt regions, in the Moroccan Middle Atlas area, but the wool quality is superior and the weave is thicker. In fact, they are particularly dense, silky, and bright.

Among other renowned Moroccan rugs, we sell short-pile Azilal carpets, with widely varying designs and colours, as well as old Boujaad carpets recognisable by their purple colourings.

Fans of colour and geometric designs could opt for Boucherouite carpets or kilims. Their point of difference is that they were created using recycled textiles and they are very easy to maintain.

People often ask me: why do Berber carpets have such different prices?
At Pompon Bazar, the carpets are all handmade, unique, and authentic. They come from villages or towns scattered across the Saharan mountains or region.

The price differences are due to the materials used and the format desired, but there are also other criteria:
- how old or new the piece is: older works are generally more expensive;
- the quality and quantity of wool used;
- the density of the weave and quality of the finish;
- the complexity of the designs, which requires great expertise and longer completion time for the artisan;
- the rarity, originality, or particular beauty of a piece;
- whether it was sold by a professional that guarantees its origin and level of quality.