This is an old authentic carpet from the Taznakht neighborhood. Both colors, wool quality and technique were selected according to tradition.
I got this carpet together with twelve other pieces through an intermediary from the region of Taznakht and I must say that I am very happy about it, because it is not easy to acquire such pieces. All thirteen pieces come from the same tribe and have been woven for years by the same families according to local tradition. Weaving this kind of rugs usually takes a few months, which is not the case in other regions, like Boujad or the Middle Atlas.
Carpets from Taznakht are usually of very high quality. The same is true for this carpet, because the weaver has paid a lot of attention to the wool quality and weaving technique. This can be seen in the consistency of the carpet and knot density.
At the origin of the beauty of the Taznakht carpet, a breed of sheep known for the quality of its wool uniformly white or black with a fleece of long hair, smooth to the touch, clean and homogeneous. The quality of this carpet also results from the weaving technique perfected to the extreme and which makes the specificity of the carpet Aït Ouaouzguit.
The carpet contains a lot of symbols, not all of which are typical for this region or tribe, which is not entirely unusual, since these are mainly nomadic tribes that constantly move from region to region and get influenced by other weaving cultures.
Some symbols can be quickly interpreted. They are diamonds connected with other diamonds, which indicates the family or descendants of a woman. On the other hand, you can find a clear interpretation on the female gender, which is again connected with a diamond.
Although it is sometimes difficult to determine the age of a rug, it is possible to guess from which decades it comes from based on the wool quality, weaving technique, and colors and patterns used.
Since I received this rug along with others from the same household, I already know it’s from the eighties. Regardless, the above parameters indicate that it was woven in the eighties of the 20th century.
