History of Berber Rugs

• Rugs originate from Berbers living in the high Atlas mountains.Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
  
  Rug weaving have been a craft of Berber women for generations, with females traditionally learning different looping techniques, patterns and color ranges at a young age at home. The rugs date as far back as 622 AD. They were produced for bedding and other domestic uses.
  
  Male professional master weavers among Eastern tribes created large rugs to sell. Historically, these rugs were a prized gift for those in elite families. They adorned palaces and sacred spaces. Rugs made in urban areas carry more Arabic influences and sometimes are used as prayer mats.
  
  

Process of Making a Berber Rug

• Berber women traditionally make most rugs.Chris Jackson/Getty Images News/Getty Images
  
  Women traditionally use sheared wool to make a rug. The wool is obtained from sheep living in the Atlas mountains. The wool is cleaned, combed and spun. It may be dyed or left in natural colors. Camel hair also has been used. One superstition that still exists is the slight burning of a rug's edges to ward off the envious attention of bad spirits.
  
  

Hand-Weaving Techniques

• Berber rugs are woven depending on how they will be used.Chris Jackson/Getty Images News/Getty Images
  
  A variety of weaves were developed by the Berbers depending on the climate and rug's use. Rugs made in the mountains tend to have larger loops and looser knots to provide better protection from the cold. Rugs made in warmer surroundings generally are meant for sleeping on and possess a finer weave with small knots standing about 2 centimeters high.
  
  Techniques also vary by region. For example, Southern Berber tribes found in the Jebel Siroua region are considered to have the most sophisticated weaving culture because different flatweaves and textile mixes are employed.
  
  

Design

• Berber rugs can feature bold, geometrical designs that reflect traditions found in Islamic art. A common motif is a grid of diamonds that vary in size and orientation. Other traditional schemes include lozenges, crosses, triangles and simple shapes. One concept found in Berber design is a deliberate, imperfect symmetry. Traditional weavers value the freedom to wander in their designs giving the rugs flexible compositions. Ordinary rugs for daily use, however, often have little design and may even be monochrome.
  
  

Traditional Colors

• Saffron is used as a base for making yellow dyes.Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images
  
  Berber rugs traditionally are woven using either very bright colors or those found in the natural spectrum of the wool. Virgin wool produces white, black and brown shades. Natural dyes are used for pigment. Yellow dye is made from saffron, red from henna, blue from indigo, green from wild mint and burgundy from pomegranate. Other colors are obtained by mixing these natural dyes.
  
  

Beliefs in Berber Weaving

• The creation of woven rugs invoke old Berber beliefs in "baraka," or a positive energy that wards off evil. Berbers believe baraka exists in all things, so rug makers try to incorporate symbols and techniques thought to have protective powers. Motifs also are influenced by pre-Islamic beliefs, spirituality and magic. Fertility symbols can be found as well to reflect personal, feminine concerns of rug makers. Weaving rugs is an act thought to transpose hopes, wishes and fears into moving, individual expressions.