Moroccan handicraft

Moroccan Handicraft

Amazing overview of Moroccan handicraft

Fes Or Fez is One of the largest cities in Morocco, & Also known as One of the Best ancient & imperial cities. Fez is a special city that everyone should visit at least once a time in his Lifetime to explore its attractive places and its traditional handicraft as well.  Each generation passes him new creativity.  Moroccan handicraft in Fes is a big enrich cultural heritage to adapt to the needs of contemporary society. Indeed, crafts in Fes one of the fundamental characteristics of Moroccan daily life.

Moroccan handicraft consists of a lot of materials like Wood, metal, copper, wood, stone, and clay for several centuries. Adapted to modern life, craft production in Fes, offer a wide variety of products :

1. Leather:

Fes has countless types of leather, mostly from older traditions. In Fez and other cities of Morocco entire neighborhoods are reserved for tanners: Bags, in hand with accessories, babouches, poufs, clay pots covered with leather belts, saddles.

 

   2. Woodwork

Woodwork such as boxes and turned containers made of thuya, a lavishly grained, aromatic wood that grows only on the Atlantic Coast, is what Essaouira is famous for. Elaborately painted wood is also a Moroccan tradition: look for ornately painted mirror frames and hanging wall shelves of all sizes.

3. Carpets

The first and most prominent of the handicraft traditions are carpets and rugs, hand-knotted and in some cases, still colored with vegetable dyes. Designs (apart from the Turkish-inspired patterns of Rabat carpets) are predominantly traditional to Berber tribes. Their colors and symbolic motifs enable experts to pin down not only the area in which a carpet was produced but sometimes the tribe or even family that made it. Top-quality carpets sell for thousands of dirhams; more affordable and easily portable are Berber rugs, kilims, or blankets. Try the small country souks around Marrakech.

• Ceramics:

the clay of very good quality will be worked until the impurities form vases, jars, pots, plates, and trays. These pots are usually embellished with hues typical of the region and geometric or floral decorations. The most famous cities are Fez, Safi, Sale, and Marrakech.

• Embroidery:

The dark blue embroidery of Fes and Marrakech is the most common, of Rabat, Salé, Mekness, Azemmour, and Tetouan are also widespread. These works are executed with great skill using mostly the son of silk of different colors. They are found in tablecloths, napkins, Kaftan, Moroccan evening dress

• Jewelry

Jewelry is available for sale everywhere, although one of the best places to buy it is in Tiznit’s famous silversmiths’ souk and in the souks of Taroudant, Essaouira, and Marrakech. Dull silver is the basic material: heavy but beautifully decorated bracelets, delicate filigree rings, chunky necklaces of semi-precious stones (or occasionally of plastic, for the unwary) are most commonly found. Slightly more unusual, and sometimes antique, are decorated daggers, scabbards, or Qur’an boxes, covered with silver-wire decoration.

• Textile:

The Moroccan textile tribes are among the most dazzling and most impressive of the African continent. Variations of rhythmic patterns, the vibration of colors, the variety of textures, and the power they emit make them unique. The textile city dwellers have nothing to envy them: the beautiful embroidery of Fez compete with those of Rabat, Meknes, and Sale or Tetouan. It should be noted that women held for the holidays (caftan) were works of art created and tailored by hand to true artisans of Marrakech.

• Pottery

Pottery ranges from the rough earthenware of household pots and crocks to gaudy (and predominantly tourist-orientated) designs and beautiful blue and white, green, or colored ceramics from the main pottery centers of Safi, Fez, Meknes, and Salé. Marrakech and Essaouira both have extensive pottery souks. The more refined, detailed (and expensive) pieces usually come from Fez, while Safi is famous for its dark-green-colored pieces. In Marrakech, you can find almost anything, including modern takes on traditional designs