Beni ourain rug semi antique berber rug handwoven in moroccan atlas mountains

Another tribe who produced related white-ground rugs are the Ait Seghrouchène. Their present-day settlement 
region is divided into three sections: one to the west of the northwestern range of the Beni Ouarain; another 
to the southwest, between the Beni Alaham and the Ait Youssi; and a third north of the Ait Youssi, south of 
Fez.Structurally, Ait Seghrouchène rugs are broadly related to those of the Beni Ouarain, though the handle tends 
to be somewhat firmer. Like the Beni Ouarain, they also used the Berber knot over three warps; along the 
sides it is usual to find knots which protrude from the back of the rug.
In general, the Ait Seghrouchène tend to weave rugs with a lattice of diamonds and inner fields densely 
covered with filler motifs, similar to the Ait Youssi style (*15). Secondary colours such as red, yellow, 
orange or even violet and blue are also used. 
One may occasionally find rugs that do not fit into any of the traditional design types, although some 
details may be indicative of one or another group. On the rug shown (8) the row of small, toothed-diamond 
elements and the density of the design are implicit pointers to the Ait Seghrouchène, but it is equally 
possible that the Ait Assou or Beni bou Zart, two northwestern Beni Ouarain tribes, might have woven this 
piece. However, we know that it was sold by an Ait Seghrouchène family, so its origin is not in question.
The creative boldness of this rug and the complex change in the graphic rhythm obviously prompted Moroccan 
dealers to photograph the piece before selling it, and to use it as a model for new commercial production.
It might seem surprising that in addition to rugs which, in their archaic character, suggest the origins of 
the pile weaving tradition itself, the Beni Ouarain also produced sophisticated flatweaves. The structure of 
their pile rugs is based on function — the number of wefts and the high pile being essential for good 
insulation — and design possibilities are therefore limited. But by contrast, Beni Ouarain weavers were able 
to display all their technical skill in the making of women's flatwoven shawls, some of the finest and 
technically most demanding of Moroccan textiles. As none of the other tribes appear to have produced 
flatweaves of such complexity, it seems reasonable to assume that the Beni Ouarain played a central role in 
the textile development of the Middle Atlas nomads, and that their work may even be linked to a far more 
ancient tradition.
There are three distinct types of shawls or coats (arab.: handira), whose names correspond to a particular 
technique and design density. The finest, known as tabrdouhte, are worn only on special occasions (14). They 
are like a pattern book, with up to seventy closely packed decorative rows in a sophisticated weft-wrapping 
technique, made not only from wool, but also from cotton and - more important - from linen.
Textiles with a similar structure but with rows of design in  weft-substitution technique are called 
abrdouhe. This type is normally made from wool only. A version for everyday wear, similar in technique to the 
second type, but with a much coarser weave and fewer design elements, is known as tabbnoute. All have pile on 
the back to a greater or lesser degree. The design threads of the front are either carried on the back in 
loops to produce a cushion-like pile, or are left hanging loose, up to 15cm long, producing a pelt-like 
surface.Also woven across the entire region are the large bags called sachou, with design elements on the front. The 
rather rare blankets known as hanbel are identical to these bags and only differ from them in their greater 
length. Smatt n'ouisse (horse saddlebags) are very rare. They are related to the saddle-bags common in the 
western Middle Atlas, but in palette they show similarities with Beni Ouarain abrdouhe shawls.
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