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Traditional Carpet Weaving in North Africa

Globalization and new technologies have reached just about every nook and cranny of the world. Yet ancient arts remain. In North Africa, that includes carpet weaving.

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Commnet

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November 15, 2024

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Check out this photo essay, Traditional Carpet Weaving in North Africa: Want to show people love even when you don’t know the language? Learn to appreciate their traditions. A photographer captures images of weavers in Morocco.

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Here’s a tip.

Want a way to show people love even if you don’t know their language well? Learn to appreciate their traditions. Explore music, dance, visual art, handicrafts and cuisine. Make a friend and invite them—or maybe better yet, their parents and grandparents—to teach you. Be curious and seek to learn more.

When you demonstrate that you are a learner, others will want to teach you and help you understand. As you may notice, this is especially true if you ask them to teach you how to do something rather than tell you how they do it.

Try it close to home, too!

Something special happens when you take your place as a student rather than a teacher. You give that honor to another, recognizing and validating their expertise. Try this with an international friend, whether they are an international student, refugee, immigrant—or simply from a different culture than the one you know best. Invite them to be your teacher.

You can ask questions like these:

  • Where do these traditions come from? Who preserves them?
  • How do people pass down the traditions and to whom?
  • What values do these traditions reflect and represent?
  • Do many people in the culture still embrace those values?
  • What practices have changed? What has stayed the same?

A photographer visiting Morocco stopped by a small weaving operation and captured a few images.

A beautiful carpet may include many colors. The yarn may all start one color, but weavers must dye the yarn into colors that will go well together before they begin to weave.

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After they dye and prepare the yarn, weavers secure the strands vertically on the loom. These vertical strands form the warp of the carpet. Its weft is made of strands woven horizontally through the warp. Although many traditional looms are made of wood, these industrial-sized looms offer stability for larger carpets.

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Sitting on a wooden bench stretching the width of the loom, the weaver handles every strand of the carpet. These looms have no automation. The complexity of the pattern, density of knots and finished size of the carpet affect the weaving time. They say a large rug, nine by twelve feet, can take six months or more to weave.

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The type of knot used in your carpet may indicate where it was crafted. Berber, Turkish and Persian knots are among the types. Some regions favor the use of the asymmetrical Persian knot. The weaver hand ties the knots and uses the carpet comb to compact the weave into even lines.

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This view through the warp shows what will become the underside of the completed carpet. The density of spacing between these vertical strands is one of the factors determining the quality of the finished project.

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Having a bad hair day? This might not be the comb for you. Known as a daftin or dafffeh, a traditional weaving comb is essential for evenly compacted rows.

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Although the weavers use an electric trimmer to ensure a uniform pile, this master weaver was keen to follow up with his scissors to make sure everything was to his satisfaction.

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Trimming the carpet to produce an even pile takes time and attention.

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In some regions, carpet making may be seen as a man’s job—or as a woman’s. Here, both men and women appeared to have an active role in the process. They may begin learning the craft at home, then work under the supervision of a master weaver. Here a woman braids the fringes. We’re almost done.

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You may remember that the warp is made of fibers running the entire length of the carpet. When the carpet is complete, the warp is trimmed, then knotted or braided to create fringe or tassels. Every piece of the warp should be secured to keep the rug from coming apart.

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Carpets, sold by size, must be measured before they are priced and sold.

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Take the Next Step

Watch the video Spirit of North Africa to get a better picture of this part of the world.

Check out our photo essay with scenes from North Africa.

Our 8- to 12-week Edge trips take you to the ends of the earth to experience missionary life alongside long-term teams.

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