Cooperative Nahda · Souq El Hed
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
SIZE
3m 13cm x 2m 4cm x 3cm — 10ft 3in x 6ft 8in x 1in
WEIGHT
17600 g
MATERIALS
Tadout - Wool, Dyed Wool, and Cotton
PRODUCT ID
#10582
Beni Ourain style rugs are pile knot rugs intricately designed and are used as two sided rugs in Oued Ifrane. There is the summer side, when the pile side is placed face down on the ground to keep things cooler. During the winter, the pile side is placed up to keep things warmer. You can find these carpets with natural wool from the local sheep or cotton yarn bought from the village market. Depending on the size of the rug, it can take weeks to create. Each knot needs to be individually tied and cut, so one person is only able to create a meter in two weeks.
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MEET THE MAKERS
aicha mhdaoui
Aicha Mehdoui was born in Oued Ifrane and specializes in all the products that the association produces. She hopes to use her income with the sales to build a new house in the village.
Nbarcha Bally
Nbarcha Bally is 33 years old and married from Oued Ifrane. She is the mother of a son and a daughter. She has learned weaving like most of the local women from her own mother since an early age. She is a hard worker and puts long hours to help her husband with their household expenses and their children’s education. She joined the association not only to help her family but also to develop her skills by attending the training sessions for horizontal and vertical weaving.
Fatima Hafsi
Fatima Hafsi was born in 1969 in Oued Ifrane. She is married and has two daughters. She has recently joined the association but has known weaving for a long time, learning it from her mother. She attended school until the third grade in primary school only. From her experience, she wishes to teach the young girls who are dropping out of school nowadays how to weave in order to give them purpose but also to pursue the transmission of her craft and make sure it doesn’t disappear.
VISIT THE VILLAGE
Cooperative Nahda hosts visitors in their village — share tea, watch the artisans at work, and see the craft up close. Visits start at $14 per person, and most of it goes straight to the group.
Souq El Hed, Morocco · about 2 heures 17 minutes from Fez
