Cooperative Nahda · Souq El Hed
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
SIZE
2m 45cm x 1m 70cm x 3cm — 8ft x 5ft 7in x 1in
WEIGHT
10500 g
MATERIALS
Dyed Wool and Cotton
PRODUCT ID
#11598
Beni Ourain style rugs are pile knot rugs intricately designed and are used as two sided rugs in Oued Ifrane. There is the summer side, when the pile side is placed face down on the ground to keep things cooler. During the winter, the pile side is placed up to keep things warmer. You can find these carpets with natural wool from the local sheep or cotton yarn bought from the village market. Depending on the size of the rug, it can take weeks to create. Each knot needs to be individually tied and cut, so one person is only able to create a meter in two weeks.
COLORS IN THIS PIECE
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MEET THE MAKERS
Hafida Mehboub
Hafida Mehboub is known by the members of Association Nahda as a talented, hard working, and motivated weaver. Though she never attended school as a girl, her driven personality has landed her in math and literacy classes provided by a local association. She plans on investing the money she earns from Anou in her children.
Fatima Hajou
Fatima Hajou was born in Errachidia and moved to Oued Ifrane when her parents moved to the village for work. She never formally attended school but is a regular at a local association’s math and literacy classes. She has been involved with the association since 2011 and specializes in the btaniya and tazrbit carpets. Fatima is married and has two children, whom she hopes she’ll be able to support with the income she makes from her sales.
Fatima Mahboub
Fatima Mahboub was born in 1963 in the Ait Aziz village and currently lives near Ifrane river. She is married and the mother of three sons and a daughter. She has never been to school but learned weaving from her mother since childhood as well as western dressmaking. She has never showcased her work in fairs but has joined Association Nahda recently to gain more exposure to the artisan and craft world.
Fadma Mehboub
Fadma Mahboub was born in 1972 in the outskirts of Oued Ifrane. Her family moved into the village to make it easier for her brothers to go to school although she didn’t get the same opportunity since she never enrolled. However, she got to learn to weave and has become a renowned Hanbal and Zamora carpet weaver. She has recently joined the association in order to help the women perfect their Hanbal technique and find a space where she can meet like minded women.
Aicha Mehboub
Aicha Mahboub is the youngest sister of Naima Mahboub. At 46 she has never been married or attended to school. She learned weaving from her mother and after seeing the success her sister has encountered at the association, she joined soon after. She wants to help her widowed mother with the household expenses since all her brothers got married and have left home to build their own homes.
VISIT THE VILLAGE
Cooperative Nahda hosts visitors in their village — share tea, watch the artisans at work, and see the craft up close. Visits start at $14 per person, and most of it goes straight to the group.
Souq El Hed, Morocco · about 2 heures 17 minutes from Fez
