Ourika
Flat weaves from the Ourika valley in the central High Atlas, Morocco.
The Ourika Valley in the High Atlas region of southern Morocco , a place of idyllic beauty, has been a popular tourist destination since the period of the French protectorate. So it was surprising to discover that a previously unrecorded group of highly graphic Berber kilims, which had first appeared on the market as late as 2000, were made there.
The kilims are entirely woven from natural light and dark coloured wool and are further defined by the use of characteristic lensshaped motifs.
The exhibition accompanied an article in HALI, issue 139, March/April 2005, and presented masterpieces of Ourika flatweaves alongside two fine mantles called akhnif: one from the Ourika Valley and one of the oldest known examples from the Ait Ouaouzguite confederation in the Jebel Siroua region.
