Southern coast and painting ceramics in Fez, Salé and Safi.
Carpets
If you manage to return from Morocco without a carpet, you may well congratulate yourself on
being one of few travellers to have outsmarted the wiliest salespeople on the planet. Huzzah!
But then it sets in: they’ve got piles of plush, one-of-a-kind handmade carpet underfoot, and
you’re stuck with your faded acrylic bathmat. Hmmm.
CARPET CATEGORIES
Rabati carpets Plush pile carpets in deep jewel tones, featuring an ornate central motif balanced by fine detail along the
borders. Many of the patterns may remind you of a formal garden, though you may see some newer animal motifs and splashy
modern abstract designs. Rabati carpets are highly prized, and could run you Dh2000 per sq metre.
Chichaoua rugs Simple and striking, with spare zigzags, asterisks, and enigmatic symbols on a variegated red or purple
background (about Dh700 to Dh1000 per sq metre).
Hanbels or kilims These flat-woven rugs with no pile make up for a lack of cushiness with character. Some hanbels include
Berber letters and auspicious symbols such as the evil eye, Southern Cross and Berber fibule (brooch) in their weave. Ask the
seller to explain them for you – whether it’s folklore or fib, the carpet-seller’s interpretation adds to the experience (about
Dh700 to Dh900 per sq metre).
Zanafi or glaoua Kilims and shag carpeting, together at last. Opposites attract in these rugs, where sections of fluffy pile
alternate with flat-woven stripes or borders. These are usually in the Dh1000 to Dh1750 per sq metre price bracket.
Shedwi Flat-woven rugs with bold patterns in black wool on off-white, so au naturel you can still feel the lanolin between your
fingers when you rub it. At as little as Dh400 for a smaller rug, they’re impressive yet inexpensive gifts.Moroccan carpets hook travellers almost every time because there’s a right carpet for almost
everyone – and if that sounds like something your mother once said to you about soul mates,
it’s not entirely a coincidence. Women in rural Morocco traditionally created carpets as part of
their dowries, expressing their own personalities in exuberant colours and patterns, and
weaving in symbols of their hopes for health and married life. Now carpets are mostly made as
a way to supplement household income, but in the hands of a true mâalem , a hand-woven
carpet brings so much personality and baraka (good vibes) underfoot, it could never be
mistaken for a mere doormat.
Carpets you see in the souqs may already have been bought and sold three or four times,
with the final price representing a hefty mark-up over what the weaver was paid for her work.
Consider buying directly from a village association instead: the producer is more likely to get
her fair share of the proceeds, you’ll get a better deal without extensive bargaining, and you
may meet the artisan who created your new rug.
TOP CARPET-BUYING TIPS
To avoid both carpet-buyer’s remorse and non-carpet-buyer’s remorse:
» » Know your limits, namely how much blank wall and floor space you actually have, your airline’s luggage weight limit,
whether you’re prepared to pay for shipping and duty (see Sending Parcels, Click here , for details), and how much you want