Collection: Berber Rugs

What Are Berber Rugs?

Berber rugs come from the Berber, or Amazigh, tribes of North Africa and the Sahara region, such as Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Our Berber rugs come from Ghardaïa, Algeria, a UNESCO world heritage site where weavers work on a vertical loom to create sheep's wool rugs in a traditional style that has existed for centuries. Many rugs are flat-weaves with embroidered geometric designs. Other rugs are hand-knotted, where the weaver ties the yarn around the warp threads.

The History & Technique of Berber Rugs

Rug weaving in North Africa has existed for centuries within Berber tribes. Some tribes were nomadic, while others settled in villages or led semi-nomadic lifestyles.

Traditionally, women took up the craft, weaving rugs for practical everyday use, including bedding and saddle blankets. The unique style of each rug reflected its purpose and the surrounding environment. In mountainous terrains, high-pile rugs provided warmth, while a flat-weave technique in the Sahara desert could be used to seal or decorate their tents. Because of the isolation of many of these tribes, ancient weaving practices have been preserved.

To weave a rug using methods that have existed for centuries, a weaver hand-spins the sheep's wool or another local fiber. It is common to see whites, grays and other natural colors from the sheep. When weaving with a more colorful palette, they use natural dyes from flowers, herbs, fruits, roots, and seeds. On the loom, they hand-knot the yarn for a piled rugs, or weave for a flat rug.

Berber Rugs Materials & Quality

Our Berber rugs are made to last. They are all handmade by artisans with sheep's wool and pearl cotton. Wool material creates the highest quality of Berber rugs, which is why they are more expensive than synthetic options. In general, wool rugs with tightly woven fibers are some of the best rugs for high-traffic areas because of their durability. They are also generally non-toxic and hypoallergenic.

Cleaning a Handmade Wool Berber Rug

To maintain our handmade Berber rugs, we recommend dry-clean only to prevent the dyes from bleeding.

Vacuum using the handheld extension, or without the brush roller to increase the longevity of your rug.

For spot cleaning stains, use gentle cleaners, such as a combination of equal parts white vinegar and warm water. With a fresh cloth, brush, or sponge, blot the stain a little bit at a time with the mixture, and then blot with a dry cloth. Lay the rug flat to dry to prevent the dyes from bleeding. Do not hang dry.

View our detailed guide on cleaning rugs.

The Artisan Behind Our Berber Rugs

The skilled artisans who craft our Berber rugs are Hocine Bazine and his team of weavers. They hand-make each rug, using locally sourced wool and cotton.

All of his rugs are hand-crafted. A hand-woven rug can take about a month for a weaver to create, while hand-knotted rugs can take a few months to complete. Learn more about Hocine Bazine and his process.

Patterns of Berber Rugs

Many rugs tell a visual story through intricate traditional patterns and symbols that convey aspects of Berber culture, spirituality, and daily life. The same symbol may change meaning over time, or even from region to region.

In the region where many of our rugs come from, it is custom for a bride’s mother and grandmother to make rugs for her new home. Many of the patterns represent an item the bride will have in her new home, such as the wedding bed, jewelry, or a suitcase.