This is Marrakesh Express, your on-line Moroccan rug and pillow gallery and shop. I'm Susan Schaefer Davis, an anthropologist, and I've worked and lived in Morocco off and on for over thirty years. My academic interest is women and gender, and the aesthetic counterpart is Moroccan textiles. Over the years I've bought beautiful things for myself, family and friends, and now I'm ready to share with you - you can learn by browsing, and also buy at bargain prices ranging from $15 to $1600 for unique handmade items. Because I deal directly with the women weavers and local merchants, in fluent Moroccan Arabic, my prices are the lowest you'll find for such high quality items.
Click banner to meet women weavers of N'kob - or continue reading.
One advantage of this medium is that you can see the weavings; I've found one disadvantage is that graphic images sometimes load slowly. I've tried to set up the pages so that they do not take too long to load: there is a small image of each piece, and by clicking on it you can see a full screen picture with more and better detail. Usually you can also see a close-up.
Item 26 is a good example of one type of Moroccan weaving you'll see - try clicking it.
Having taught anthropology, I'm eager to educate people about these gorgeous, colorful weavings. With that in mind, I've divided Marrakesh Express into seven sections, starting with a Gallery containing photos and descriptions of different styles, and a Shop with the pieces currently for sale. A more recent section is called Women Weavers OnLine. There you can see the actual weavers of rugs, learn a bit about them and their families, and buy from them directly so that they get all the profit instead of middle'men', including me. Because people often write with questions about Morocco, I've added a page of Books and Videos on Morocco, and another on Travel in Morocco. There's also a Map to help you find the places I mention. Finally, there's a section with Links to sites I like on related topics. Please see the brief overview below, and then go ahead and explore.
All the textiles you will see are one-of-a-kind, handwoven (and a few embroidered) by traditional Moroccan women and girls, usually for their own use. Morocco is on the northwest corner of Africa, populated by Berbers and Arabs, and about the size of California. For its size, there are a large number of weaving styles. Rabat carpets are seen most in the U.S.: they have a central medallion and deep pile, resemble oriental carpets, and often contain much red and blue.
This collection focuses on the lesser-known and more varied flatweaves (often called kilims) from the Middle Atlas Mountains, with some Glawa or Tazenakht pile pieces from the High Atlas south of Marrakesh, especially in the Women Weavers OnLine section. Nearly all the flatweaves are in wool, with white designs (usually in cotton) for contrast, and the pile pieces are usually all wool. Floor pieces range from about 3x5 feet to 5x8 feet, though some are larger. The rectangular shape fits Moroccan rooms, in which many have already been used; I find the colors in used pieces are often subtler and richer than in new ones. Their irregularity is another of their charms. Unlike mass-produced items, you nearly always find something new as you look. The Gallery images are of pieces that have been in my collection, or those of friends, so they are not for sale. If you'd like to order certain styles, I'll do some custom shopping on my next trip.
Now, for a quick, illustrated, education on Moroccan textiles, click Gallery. To see the pieces for sale, click Shop. For more information about and photos of the women who weave these rugs, and to buy from them directly, click Women Weavers OnLine. Click Books and Videos for suggested reading and viewing, Travel for information on guides, shops and the next trip I will lead to Morocco, and Links for a collection of other interesting related sites. Finally, the Map will help you find some of the places I mention.
You can contact me at sdavis@uslink.net
Copyright © Susan S. Davis 1994-2014. All rights reserved.