Atlas Mountains Rugs: Where Moroccan Rugs Come From
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Atlas Mountains rugs is a loose name for the hand-knotted wool rugs made by Amazigh weavers in the mountains of Morocco. It is a useful one, because geography explains a great deal about these rugs. The Atlas is not one range but three, with different climates, and the rugs of each have a recognisable character. Knowing which type comes from where makes the names easier to remember and the differences easier to see. This page gives a short map: the three ranges, the rug types associated with each, the plains below, and how our own collection is spread across them.
From the Atelier
Currently in our collection
Three ranges, not one
The Atlas runs across Morocco from south-west to north-east. The Middle Atlas lies to the north, south of Fes and Meknes, a country of plateaus and cedar forest with long, snowy winters. The High Atlas is the central and highest range, rising behind Marrakech to more than four thousand metres.
The Anti-Atlas is the southern range, lower and much drier, facing the Sahara. Between the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas stands the volcanic massif of Siroua. Each range, and many single valleys, has its own weaving habits.
Middle Atlas rugs
The Middle Atlas is the home of the thick pile rug. Beni Ourain rugs, ivory with dark lines, come from its north-eastern part. Beni Mguild rugs, in deep reds and blues, come from the country around Azrou and Khenifra. Beni Mrirt rugs take their name from the town of Mrirt in the same region.
What these types share is weight. They are generous in wool, which suits a cold mountain climate, and they are the rugs most people abroad think of first when they hear the words Moroccan rug.
High Atlas rugs and the south
The central High Atlas, around the province of Azilal, produces lighter rugs with free, colourful drawing: the Azilal type. Further east and south, around Telouet, the Glaoua tradition mixes pile, flat weave and wrapped patterning in a single piece.
Around Siroua and the town of Taznakht, on the way to the Anti-Atlas, weaving is fine and varied, with pile rugs and flat weaves in reds, yellows and black. In the Anti-Atlas proper, flat-woven textiles are more common than deep pile.
The plains below the mountains
Not every Moroccan rug is a mountain rug. Boujaad rugs, in warm reds and pinks, come from the plains west of the Middle Atlas. The Zemmour, between Rabat and Meknes, are known for red banded flat weaves. The plains around Marrakech have their own long red rugs.
The cities add a third strand: the workshop carpets of Rabat, finely knotted and bordered, are a different tradition from any of the rural rugs. Atlas Mountains rugs, strictly, are the rural ones from the three ranges.
Our collection on the map
We hold 275 hand-knotted wool rugs. By type, 152 belong to the Middle Atlas: 119 Beni Mrirt, twenty-two Beni Ourain and eleven Beni Mguild. One hundred and twenty are Azilal rugs, the type named after the High Atlas province. Two are Boujaad, from the plains, and one is listed as vintage.
We describe each rug by its type and do not name a village or a weaver. The rugs shown on this page come from the whole collection. Each rug is one of a kind, with its exact measurements on its own page. Delivery is free worldwide, duties and taxes included.
What you can verify about us
- Origin
- Made in MoroccoHand-knotted Berber rugs from the Atlas regions. Every rug is one of a kind.
- Construction
- Hand-knotted woolVerified at every stage — never machine-tufted.
- Delivery
- Duties includedFree shipping; import duties and taxes are included in the price.
- Returns
- 14 daysIn condition received, full refund of the purchase price.
Frequently Asked
Questions
- What are Atlas Mountains rugs?
- Hand-knotted wool rugs made by Amazigh weavers in the Middle Atlas, High Atlas and Anti-Atlas ranges of Morocco.
- Which rugs come from the Middle Atlas?
- Beni Ourain, Beni Mguild and Beni Mrirt, the thick pile types.
- Which rugs come from the High Atlas?
- Azilal rugs from the central High Atlas, and Glaoua rugs from around Telouet.
- Are all Moroccan rugs from the Atlas?
- No. Boujaad and Zemmour pieces come from the plains, and Rabat carpets are an urban tradition.
Sources & References
What this page rests on
- 1. wikipedia — Atlas Mountains
- 2. geologicalAtlas as extension of Alpine orogenic system, 60-40 Ma
- 3. internal_researchAtlas wool fibre characteristics (staple, lanolin, micron)
- 4. entity_factsToubkal 4,167 m as highest peak
The person behind the piece
“Before you buy, I’ll send you a video of the actual rug in natural light — not a stock photo. I answer the messages myself.”
I’m Youssef. I started ARINID because this market is full of middlemen and machine-made imitations sold as the real thing — and I grew up close enough to the looms to know the difference.
Every piece we list is one of a kind, hand-knotted in Morocco. If you want to talk through sizing for your room, I’m on the other end of the message. A rug at this level is a thirty-year decision. You should be able to look the person selling it to you in the eye.
Youssef
Founder, ARINID
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Each piece is hand-knotted in Morocco and delivered to your door, with shipping, duties and taxes included.