Morocco Rugs
Morocco Rugs are could be called as ‘Berberi Rugs ‘. Recently, these rugs has been received a huge interest from the famous interior designers. The superior quality of the wool and the modern geometric and the tribal patterns are one of the most beautiful choices to combine with your furniture.
Where are Moroccan Rugs made?
Morocco is rich with history and cultural diversity. Having situated in the north west corner of Africa, it is surrounded with the Mediterranean and Gibraltar in the north, Algeria in the east, Mauretania in the south and Atlas Ocean in the west. With an Arabic and Jewish influence on culture and arts, Morocco is well known with its architecture, food and Moroccan Rugs. Moroccan Rugs are also named as Berberi Rugs. The latter name rose from the Berberi people that reside in the Taznakht region of Ouarzazate city in the south of Morocco who have made these rugs. Berberi women are still weaving these rugs and trying to keep the tradition of rug weaving alive.
How many types of Moroccan Rugs are there?
Moroccan rugs are grouped according to their designs and usually there are misconceptions about which design belongs to which group of Moroccan rugs. The designs that give the rugs their names are as follows.
Azilal Morocco Rugs
Azilal Moroccan rugs are made in the city of Azilal situated in central Morocco. These rugs carry similarities to Beni Ourain rugs with their thick pile. The main difference is coloring. These rugs differ with their all natural vegetable dyes and geometric patterns. These rugs are a good preference if you are looking to bring some color and movement to your spaces.
Beni Ourain Moroccan Rugs
These rugs sometimes tell the stories of the women that weave them and sometimes the ancestral tales they inherited from their elders with their geometric designs. They are made by the high quality and soft wool of the sheep raised by Berberi tribes in the Atlas Mountains, in the north of Africa. The tradition of rug making has survived by techniques passed down from mothers to daughters.
They are usually in tones of cream and designed with diamond shapes. They also have blues and tones of brown. With their simple and elegant design they are widely preferred by designers.
Vintage Moroccan Boucherouite Rugs
Boucherouite rugs are made by repurposed materials. Weavers of these rugs have gained attention with their colorful rugs making these rugs an important element of modern design.
Vintage Moroccan Kilim Rugs
These rugs are made by the same weaving technique used on Turkish kilims. They are thinner and not as soft compared to other types of Moroccan rugs. Because they are woven textiles kilim rugs do not have a pile. Moroccan kilim rugs have eye catching colors and they are used indoors as well as outdoors.
Vintage Moroccan Boujad Rugs
Boujad rugs are colorful rugs in trendy tones of pink, orange and purple. Boujad rugs have taken their place in homes bringing a touch of modernity to traditional designs and warmth to spaces.
What is a Tulu Rug?
Tulu Rugs or we can call them as ‘’Shaggy Rugs’’ are one of a kind 50-60 years old Anatolian rugs. These rugs are mostly 100 percent natural sheep wool and it’s got a thick pile.These are extremely soft pieces so you can feel the comfort when you walk on the rug. Also, these pieces are mostly small sizes around 2.5 to 5.5 sqm.
Rugs woven all over Anatolia are manifestations of the rich Turkish rug culture with their types, colors, patterns, symbols and use. Soft rugs that use wool in their natural colors with a high pile are called Tulu rugs. Tulu rugs form a unique subcategory of rugs with their weaving technique, color and plain, simple motifs. Long pile, a soft touch and light structure define Tulu rugs and distinguish them as a different category. In some regions of Anatolia these rugs are also called ‘filikli’ rugs. As Anatolian people lived a semi nomadic life in the past, they made tulu rugs to use them in their daily lives.
The word ‘tulu’ originated from ‘tuylu’ which means furry, due to its long pile. The knots after they are tied are left uncut, creating this long pile. It is a weaving technique that is used in central and west Anatolia. The technique has preserved itself until our day and age. In this technique the carpet is not knotted in each line of the weaving, but they skip some lines. This enables the weaver to make bigger and looser knots which gives tulu its unique look. Commonly in Turkish carpets after the knots are tied, they are cut and the pile is shortened. On tulu rugs since the wool is uncut and the pile is long, it bends to one side. Designs on a tulu is also very different than common carpets. They have simpler, tribal designs with large, plain medallions or graphic designs. They are much lighter compared to regular carpets because of their loose knots.
Carpets of Anatolia with their various kinds, designs and areas of usage show how rich and versatile the Turkish weaving tradition is. Tulu carpets have never been intended for commercial use, they have emerged in the market very recently. It is an uncommon carpet with unusual design, patterns, weaving technique, colors and simple motifs and it is in perfect harmony with the modern design approach. Tulu carpets were made by the people of Anatolia to be used in their nomadic & semi-nomadic lifestyle. These carpets were used on top of beds to keep warm as well as to sit on and as prayer rugs. When the semi-nomadic people migrated to higher plains in the summertime, they preferred to take their tulu rugs with them as they take up less space when folded. Tulu carpets were also used to wrap certain food products to keep them from going bad. While these rugs were generally used to cover floors, in cold seasons they were used to help isolation by covering doors, windows to stop air circulation and they were also used as pillows to sit on. It is known that tulu rugs were used to sleep on and as quilts to cover up. In the summer months makers of Tulu rugs carried these rugs with them as they are light and easy to carry. After putting their food products such as milk, butter in clay pots they would cover these pots with tulu rugs to save them from heat.
Tulu carpets have taken their place in modern home decoration with their modern and unique style. This style has set tulu carpets aside from classical carpets, and their design approach has provoked thoughts on the use of simplicity in art forms way before simplicity was favored in popular art forms. Tulu rugs are still being made in our present day; but in larger sizes due to current home decor needs.
How many types of weaving techniques are there in Tulu Rugs?
Two types of weaving techniques are used in Tulu rugs.
1 – Knotted pile
2 – Wrapping technique
How are Tulu Rugs used in decor?
Tulu rugs are becoming popular because of their tribal look, high quality material and thick weave. Tulu rugs are made of high quality wool and their tribal look make them perfect for modern design needs. Many designers use tulu rugs along with modern furniture. Tulu rugs fit perfectly in minimally designed modern homes. Lighter colors as well as darker colors can be found on these rugs so they can be used with many different colors both to create contrast or in similar colors. Another important characteristic of tulu rugs is their high, thick pile. The soft touch of tulu rugs make them an irresistible piece of home decor. They visually complete a home decor setting by adding a unique texture to the overall design. The high quality wool makes tulu rugs beautiful pieces of textile offering visual beauty as well as help creating a warm space in your homes.