Beni Ourain Rug, Ivory Handmade Berber Wool Symbols

$99.00

This Beni Ourain rug is a handwoven ivory Moroccan carpet scattered with small hand-knotted Berber symbols, made by Amazigh artisans in the workshops of Morocco. It carries the Beni Ourain weaving tradition of the Middle Atlas, a heritage of undyed wool grounds and symbolic motifs that we produce today in the El Abbassi family workshops of the Rabat-Sale region. The field is left the natural colour of the fleece, and across it the weavers place dozens of separate marks: crosses and X-forms, chevrons, small stepped diamonds, checkerboard squares, a zigzag ladder and a tree-like figure in indigo, ochre, rose, olive, grey and black. Nothing repeats on a grid. Each symbol carries its own meaning and its spacing is decided at the loom rather than drawn in advance, so from across a room the piece reads as a calm ivory field, while up close it becomes a whole tribal alphabet. Craftsmanship runs through every row. The carpet is hand knotted throughout on a cotton warp, giving it a soft, plush medium-high pile and a flatter woven reverse that mirrors the same symbols. A woven ochre end band and hand-knotted ivory pom tassels finish the piece. The wool is spun from Moroccan sheep and the ground is left undyed, so the ivory holds a soft, natural variation rather than a bleached white; the fibre content is 100% natural wool. For styling, this neutral ivory carpet all but disappears into a pale, boho or modern room, yet never looks plain: it works as a living-room centrepiece, a soft layer at the foot of a bed, or a gentle accent in a nursery or reading corner, where the small coloured symbols give the eye something to find. Its generous proportions also sit well under a coffee table or beneath a dining set. Care is straightforward. Vacuum on a gentle setting without a beater bar, spot clean the ivory ground with cold water and mild soap by blotting rather than rubbing, and have it professionally cleaned once a year. Always store it rolled, never folded. Worldwide shipping is always free and included in the price, with no minimum and no separate charge, and each one-of-a-kind piece arrives rolled, wrapped and fully tracked.

Every rug is made by hand in the El Abbassi family workshops in Morocco's Rabat-Salé region. See how our rugs are made

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