Moroccan Rugs

Morocco is known for its spectacular carpet souqs and I've definitely taken advantage of them.

I purchased my first rug in Marrakech during October Break with Stephanie, Julie and Johnna. It is a traditional Berber carpet from the Atlas mountains. Unfortunately, after more rug shopping around Morocco, I ended up figuring out that I got ripped off on this one. It is my largest rug and looks great under my coffee table in my living room.

Here's a close up of the intricate pattern. Although there are similar rugs out there, each Berber carpet is quite unique.
While in Marrakech the second time with my parents and sister, I had the great pleasure of rug shopping with my dad. We picked out this High Atlas beauty.
This rug is reversible.

We also bought this runner and buying both allowed us to negotiate a better price.

I love that it matches the tile in my dining room, as well as the blue cushions on my dining room chairs. Note that Berber carpets only have fringe on one side - the starting side doesn't have any.

The latest addition to my Moroccan rug collection was this old rug that I found in Azrou with Mike and Julie. I highly recommend carpet shopping in Azrou over Marrakech - the location is closer to the Berber tribes and tourism isn't as rampant, so starting prices are less than half what they are anywhere else. The people were so friendly and Mike was able to negotiate an awesome price - this was my cheapest rug!

The carpet is over 50 years old - you can tell because of its color. The purple and teal were colors brought to Morocco by the French and since they've gone, this color isn't available to use in new rugs. A picture really doesn't capture the beauty of the deep purple and light teal. You'll have to come visit to see how gorgeous it is!