Moroccan weaving is the tradition that modern interiors adopted most completely, and the market that resulted is now considerably larger than the weaving that produced it.
The four things people mean
- Beni Ourain
- Undyed cream wool, sparse dark lattice, thick loose pile
- Azilal
- High Atlas, lighter ground, irregular polychrome drawing
- Boujad
- Pink, madder and aubergine, abstract and asymmetric
- Boucherouite
- Rag rugs from recycled textile — a distinct technique
Beni Ourain is the one that travelled. Sparse black or brown lozenges on undyed cream wool, from the Middle Atlas. Its spare pattern fits many contemporary rooms, despite its roots in a much older weaving tradition.
Azilal often uses brighter, irregular polychrome drawing. Boujad is commonly marketed with pink and red tones. Boucherouite describes rugs made with recycled textile strips; construction can vary, so inspect the actual piece.
What genuine village weaving looks like
Some rugs are woven from memory on simple looms, but production varies. These traits can be clues rather than a certificate of origin:
- Proportions drift. Ends are not the same width. The lattice is not regular.
- Pile may be long and loosely packed — knot density alone does not measure quality.
- Wool is hand-spun and slightly uneven along its length.
- A pale ground may vary in tone. Do not infer dye or age from colour alone.
Where the market has moved
Beni Ourain is also used as a style description for rugs made elsewhere. A tufted lookalike may have a fabric backing; a hand-knotted piece usually reveals its structure on the reverse. See the checks in hand-knotted rugs.
Living with one
The long, loose pile is the whole appeal and the whole maintenance problem.
Long pile can trap soil and may shed, particularly when new. Follow the rug's care instructions and seek specialist washing when its condition calls for it — see rug cleaning.
Undyed cream wool marks. It is a beautiful and impractical choice for a hallway or a household with a dog, and an excellent one for a bedroom. Room-by-room guidance is in bedroom rugs and living room rugs.
Use a compatible pad if the rug moves on your floor — see rug pads.
What they cost
There is no dependable price range for all vintage Beni Ourain or Boucherouite rugs. Compare pieces of similar size, condition, age, origin and construction. A style copy may be entirely suitable if you want the look rather than a documented older weaving.
For how to place any of this against comparable sales, see rug value and appraisal, and for the fibre itself, wool rugs.
Which one is it?
Types of Moroccan rugs separates the traditions the market has flattened into a single name — Beni Ourain, Beni Mrirt, Azilal, Boucherouite, Boujad and the flatwoven Hanbel — with what to check on each.
The practical value of reading it is protection. "Beni Ourain" now functions as a style label rather than an origin, and it gets attached to machine-made copies, hand-tufted imitations and rugs woven in India and Turkey to the same design. The page covers the checks that settle it: undyed ground with tonal variation, irregular line work, and the two-second test of turning the rug over.
Everything on moroccan rugs
The 1 areas this subject divides into, and the guides beneath each.
- Types of Moroccan Rugs — Beni Ourain, Azilal, Boucherouite, Beni Mrirt and the flatwoven Kilims — which tribe wove what, and why almost everything sold as "Beni Ourain" is not.
Every guide in Moroccan
All 1 article in this section, starting with the ones we would hand someone new to it.
- Types of Moroccan Rugs — start here
Common questions
What is a Beni Ourain rug?
A name associated with Amazigh weaving from the Middle Atlas, often recognized by a pale wool ground and dark geometric lines. The name is also used for style copies, so check the rug's origin and construction instead of relying on the pattern.
Are Moroccan rugs hand-knotted?
Moroccan weaving includes pile and flatwoven constructions. Ask how a particular rug was made; the country or style name alone does not establish its construction.