Frequently Asked Questions

At Les Nomades de Marrakech, a Moroccan rug is more than décor — it’s a cultural artifact, a woven language, and a living heritage. Handcrafted by Amazigh artisans in the Atlas Mountains and surrounding regions, each rug embodies centuries of tradition, symbolism, and soul.

We curate our archive of over 28,000 rugs into three main collections, each representing a unique relationship between craft, culture, and contemporary life:

• Vintage Rugs
  Woven decades ago for personal or ceremonial use — never commercial. These one-of-a-kind pieces were made for the home, for storytelling, and for life.
  
• Traditional Rugs & Kilims
  Iconic regional styles like Taznakht, Zemmour, Hanbel, and Beni M’Guild — still crafted today by rural weavers using ancestral methods.
  
• Modern Rugs

Our in-house creations are designed by us and woven on looms we own and oversee. In Morocco, you’ll find a rich diversity of rug styles — shaped by geography, cultural identity, and belief systems. We draw inspiration from the best each region has to offer, reinterpreting their unique aesthetics and weaving traditions into modern, minimalist designs.

Each rug is a contemporary expression of ancestral techniques — honoring the craft while adapting it to today’s interiors. The result: timeless pieces that feel both grounded and globally relevant.

Our rugs are made in partnership with independent artisans and weaving cooperatives across Morocco. Every piece is handcrafted slowly and intentionally, using techniques passed down through generations — some even blending multiple methods into a single composition.

We work with three primary weaving techniques:

• Knotted Pile
  Thick, plush, and insulating — ideal for colder climates. This method is commonly used in Beni Ouarain, Boujaad, and Beni M’Guild rugs.
  
• Flat-Weave (Kilim)
  Lightweight and geometric, this technique is popular in southern and semi-nomadic traditions such as Hanbel and Taznakht.
  
• Weft Substitution
  A variation of flat-weaving that enables detailed, colorful storytelling, woven from the back of the loom. Often seen in vintage Zanafi and Haïk pieces.

Some rugs may incorporate multiple techniques within a single piece — for example, combining knotted sections with kilim borders or hand-embroidered motifs that add symbolic meaning and texture.

In our Modern collection, we take craftsmanship further: each rug is designed in-house, woven on looms we own, and fully supervised from the first sketch to the final knot. This ensures both creative integrity and exceptional quality at every stage.

Unlike mass-produced rugs, our Vintage pieces were never meant for commerce. They were woven as dowries, tent linings, or ritual items, each one carrying the memory of its maker and the spirit of its region.

Our Traditional and Modern collections, while created with today’s homes in mind, remain rooted in cultural respect and craft. This allows us to bring timeless beauty into contemporary interiors — without losing the story or soul.

We work directly with artisans and cooperatives, cutting out intermediaries and middlemen. This ensures:

• Transparent pricing
  
• Fair wages for weavers
  
• Empowerment of rural economies
  
• Ethical, low-impact production
  

At Les Nomades, you don’t just buy a rug — you support a community, a tradition, and a way of life.