Marrakesh Express
Women Weavers OnLine
N'kob
This page contains a specific kind of rug, the chedwi or lehemel, made uniquely in part of the High Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco. They are long and narrow, mainly in black and white in two weaving styles: flatweave and twining. The plainweave sections are stripes of one color, black or white, and the twining has black and white yarn mixed to form patterns. They often have woven designs in colors, and these colors are often natural dyes. For this reason, and also because these pieces are often old and rarely made any more, they have become collector's items and are quite expensive. But if you love good weaving and unique pieces, you may be tempted to buy one.
Piece 2.11401 is a chedwi in black and white with natural dye designs in olive green, a brown-red and blue. It was made by Rahma Id Ali and Rqia, who I think are sisters and co-wives of one man - it was getting late and I didn't check carefully. People said this piece was made around 1960, so it's over 40 years old. However, some parts do not really lie flat, which you can see from the panel on the left here where it buckles near the bottom. This is because it is difficult to get the weaving tension exactly right with the different styles of weaving. Especially if you were to display it on a wall, this should not be a problem. You can see the full rug with the overall design by clicking here. You can also see that it does not appear to buckle too much. This piece measures about 5'2" x 11'3" and costs $1,665.
Piece 2.11403 was made by the co-wives Rahma and Rqia in about 1960. It is showing some signs of age, with two tears at one end and one at the other. The colors are a yellow green, blue and deep red, all natural dyes. Unfortunately, I don't have a close-up. It is about 4'2" x 10'2" and the price (a bit lower because of the tears) is $1,400.
Piece 2.11450 is a chedwi made by Rqia Bakiz, the mother of Rahma and Rqia who made other chedwis - it's obviously a family tradition. I didn't take her photo because she was sick and didn't go out. That may be because she's old; this chedwi was made in the 1950s. The colors are an olive and a dark green plus blue and salmon; you can see them better by clicking on the photo. Although the designs are lovely, I'm afraid it does not lie flat, and has an orange spot that's probably henna - you can see it here at the bottom of a white stripe. Click here to see the whole piece. The size is about 4'5" x 10'4" and it costs $1,405.
Piece 2.11410 is a chedwi made by Rqia Aggouram about seven years ago, using colors from local plants. You can see them here, and better if you click the photo, a dark red or maroon, an indigo blue, and a dark green. This piece lies quite flat, and measures about 4'9" x 11'. Click here to see the entire piece. The price is $1,665.
Piece 2.11412 is a chedwi made by the mother of Rahma Idrhou, and Rahma thought it was made in the 1950s or 1960s. The colors include a red that varies from red to red-brown, and a dark blue. In the full view, you can see it has more colored areas than many of these pieces, but I'm afraid it shows its age too, in the henna spot visible in the center, plus one or two others, and the place where the color has run on the close-up. Contrary to popular belief, natural colors can run if not fixed well during the dye process. This piece is about 5' x 13' and costs $1,685.
