Marrakesh Express
Women Weavers OnLine
Ben Smim
The rug below was made by Aicha Amrar, whose photo you have seen before with her small son, also shown with his father Ali. So far they have just this one child. Ali is a guard at the village primary school, and Aicha contributes her income from weaving to the family, especially buying things for their son. She made this rug in 2002.
Piece 3.6014 is quite unique. It is basically a flatweave piece or hanbel, but is decorated with tufts of pink, blue and metallic gold yarn around the edge. That yarn is probably machine made and acrylic, while the red base of the rug is hand spun wool and the white design is made in what is called "silk" but is probably rayon or cotton. Within the white there are colored accents in blue, light blue, light green, pink and gold. The white design looks a bit fuzzy because there are also some pink tufts within it, which you can see in this detail. Evidently feeling it needed more decoration, Aicha added sequins, much favored in this area. Another unique aspect is the asymmetrical overall design. That's one of the things I love about these rugs: you can just keep looking at them and discovering new aspects. This piece measures about 3'2" x 5'4" (96 x 162 cm) and costs $195.
The two colorful rugs below were made by Fatima Amrar, the sister of Aicha above. Her husband is the guard at a school just like Aicha's husband Ali, but he works at a junior high school. The couple has three childlren, the oldest of whom is seventeen and the youngest seven. Fatima's earnings go to help her husband to support the family.
Piece 3.6017 is another unique one, at least for this area - I've never seen one with this design. It is fairly small, and you can use both sides, the flatweave one you see here, or the pile one seen here. It would be cheery (and not show many spots!) for a child's room. The blue ground has designs in red, white, yellow, and forest green. You can see them well in this close-up. The fringe at each end has those same colors, plus blue and black. The size is about 3' x 3'9" (91 x 114 cm) (there is a nearly five inch variation in the width from one end to the other) and the price is $225.
Piece 3.6020 is more typical of this area, although the bright pink, yellow, orange and green are relatively recent. They are probably made in acrylic sweater yarn, since local dyers don't usually make these colors. The strong design elements, like the colorful "3s" in some of the white rows, are also fairly recent. On the other hand, the red and white diamonds on the left of the hand in this detail are very traditional, as are the sequins. This piece measures about 3'2" x 5' (96 x 152 cm) and costs $300.
The piece below was made by Rqia Baikou. She has four children, two sons and two daughters. If this rug sells, she will buy materials to start another one.
Piece 3.6032 is a large older rug in the Zayan style. I say that these Zayan rugs "evolve" because many start with the pile side, the one shown in this photo, being all red, and as the red wears down the multi-colored pattern emerges as it has here. The colors are varied in this piece, but not from fading in the sun or from washing. You can tell that by looking at the upper border, where a bright red ground is near an off-white one. Instead the colors come from the yarn used. I suspect that this piece will appeal to certain people with an artistic bent: the design and coloring remind me of an abstract painting. It also appears to have excellent quality wool in the pile, seen in this detail. Notice how the yarn appears to sparkle; that is from quality, and the lanolin still in it. The pattern appears more clearly in the back side, and even moreso in this close-up of it. Many of the colors are soft: pale red, rose and gray-green, pistacho plus some dark red, rich deep blue, black and pale orange. Look again at the detail above to see how well the reds, rose and orange combine at the right of the photo. This piece has some damage at each end, visible in the photo. If you are interested I can ask about having it repaired in Morocco. The size is about 5' x 6'9" (152 x 205 cm), although there is quite a bit of variation: one side is 9 inches shorter than the other. The price is $290.
The pillow below was made by Itto Oumoush, whose photo, pillows and rugs you have seen before. Her husband works at the village post office and also farms - the last time we visited she was about to take him lunch in the fields. They have three children, two boys who are in school and a daughter of one and a half. The oldest son is 12 and lives with his aunt and goes to boarding school in a nearby town, since Ben Smim only has a primary school. When Itto sells a piece she uses the money to buy materials to start another - a common pattern. Notice the shimmer of the sequins, which can be quite lovely.
Piece 3.6039 is a pillow with an overall zig-zag design in black and white with red accents, trimmed with sequins. You can see the excellent weaving in this close-up. The back is plain red, except for a bit of the design that has run over. It measures about 1'6" x 1'10" (46 x 56cm) and costs $60.
