The particular manufacturing process begins with the harvesting of wool from a specific breed of sheep from the Moroccan mountains. The wool is then washed and eroded to remove its natural oils and spun by hand. Thus each carpet thread is guaranteed 100% natural wool. The next step is the knotting. This is where the meticulousness and ancestral know-how of the Moroccan desert weavers are fully revealed. The real density of the carpet is the result of this step during which a small weft is inserted between the knots. The dyeing that follows the knotting is done with natural products. The carpet is then cut from the loom and trimmed with special scissors to ensure a standard length. The final step is to wash the carpet two or three times to soften it and then let it dry in natural sunlight.
The reputation of Sahraoui carpets in Morocco is well known. Their quality and their elegant aesthetics lead to consider them as the most prestigious. The motifs that decorate them tell the story of the lives of those who wove them. The themes that are most often found in them express the links to nature and life in these desert regions, but also looks specific to femininity as birth or fertility. It is accepted in the Berber culture that these carpets can also be a protection against evil spirits. This is why we find symbols of good luck or tribal ceremonies represented on them.
The production of Sahraoui carpets by local craftsmen finally allows to guarantee the transmission of a unique and precious know-how from generation to generation. It also allows, thanks to this fair trade, to develop a local economy, united and sustainable to the full benefit of the families who devote themselves to it. Acquiring one of these carpets is much more than buying a simple object, it is contributing to the maintenance and survival of the history of a population. It is also to weave links with it!