Vintage Moroccan Berber rug beni ocarina

The beni ouarain, composed of 17 tribes, are one of the Berber ethnic groups of the Maghreb and occupy the north-east of Morocco, in the Middle Atlas. This region is hot in summer, but becomes cold, wet and snowy in winter, with more difficult living conditions. A detail that is not really a detail, since the climate explains in large part the history of the carpet. The Beni Ouarain rural community lives from raising sheep, but not just any sheep. In connection with the nature and the cold nights of the mountains, the sheep of the region have indeed developed a thick and quality wool. This is particularly true of the Marmoucha breed of sheep. This breed has a long, ivory-coloured wool, except on the head where the wool is black. It is the latter that is used to draw the patterns of the carpets.