The Berber tribes and other Moroccan nomads wove rugs to use as saddle blankets, tent sides and carpets, sleeping mats and covers. Thick carpets of natural wool provided warmth while thinner rugs were lighter and easier to transport and to wear. Moroccan weaving became more colorful as the desert and mountain people incorporated plant, insect and mineral dyes into their designs. But the real artistry of the rug relied on talent and technique, often passed down through generations.
Hand-loomed rugs are woven on fixed or revolving frames. The warp threads are stretched vertically and form the spine or structure of the textile. The weft threads are passed over and under, or in and out of the warp horizontally to create a pattern. On a fixed loom, the rug can be only as long as the frame. A revolving frame lets the weaver roll finished sections around the bottom dowel of the loom for varying lengths. Each time the weaver passes the weft across the warp, the row is beaten down to tighten the cloth. Skilled weavers are artists who invent their own patterns and techniques, mix traditional techniques and play with colors and designs. Moroccan rug weaving borrows techniques from all over the Middle East and Northern Africa but there are a few very common weaving styles.
A knotted pile rug is fluffy and traps air between the yarns so it is warmer than a thin, flat-weave carpet. A few rows of weft threads are laid across the warp and tightened to make a secure base for the raised-pile knots. Then the weaver slips extra weft yarn around the warp, catching at least two warp threads, and knots the extra yarn, knotting across the width of the textile. The weaving continues with weft threads added across the vertical warp threads, interspersed by rows of knotted yarn. The design and the intended thickness of the rug determine how many weft passes the weaver makes between rows of knots. At the end of the carpet length, another border of plain weft weaving secures the knotted design. Knots may be clipped as the weaver works, or the pile is trimmed to an even height before removing the weaving from the loom, sometimes by a different artisan known as a finisher.