Hanbel Rug

Fatima Oukhallou Mimoun

Fatima Oukhlu Fatima was born in Ait Hamza during the 1960’s. She was born into a poor family and never went to school because when she was younger only boys could attend school. Instead of school, Fatima learned how to weave and sold her weavings to notable people in her village and also sold rugs from time to time to cover the costs of food and clothing for her family. When she married, she furnished her new home entirely with rugs that she created by hand. Since the family she married into didn’t have a flock of sheep as many families did at the time, she continued to weave to help support her family. She joined Association Tithrite in order to generate more income from her work, and she has been at the association since it began.

Itto Benhammi

Itto Benahmi was born in Ait Yahya, Ait Hamza, and is a divorced mother of one son. She grew up in a family that owned livestock, giving her access to high-quality wool from an early age. Guided by her mother, she learned the art of weaving as a child, beginning a lifelong connection to this traditional craft. She completed primary school through the fifth grade. Like many girls in her region at the time, she was unable to continue her education because there were no secondary schools nearby, and families did not allow their daughters to travel far from home to study. Instead, she devoted herself to weaving, preserving the knowledge passed down through generations of women in her family. In 2012, Itto joined the association because she believes in the strength of working together something she had always experienced within her own family. Since then, she has continued to grow both as an artisan and as a member of a supportive community. Today, She hopes to earn a better income while further developing her skills alongside her fellow artisans. Above all, she dreams of passing her knowledge on to the next generation, ensuring that the rich weaving traditions of her community continue to thrive for years to come.