Moroccan Handicrafts: What to Look For and Where

1. A living tradition

Craft skills in Morocco pass from master to apprentice, and many medinas are still organised by trade: a street for dyers, a square for coppersmiths, a lane for slipper makers. Buying from the workshop itself means your money reaches the person who made the object.

2. The main crafts

Eight crafts account for most of what you will see in the souks. Each has a home region, and the best pieces still come from there.

• Carpets: Each region has its own style. Beni Ouarain rugs from the Middle Atlas are cream with dark diamonds; Azilal rugs are colourful and abstract; boucherouite rugs are woven from recycled fabric; flat-woven kilims come from across the south.
• Pottery: Fes is known for fine blue-and-white ware, Safi for bright multicoloured glazes, and Tamegroute, near Zagora, for its distinctive green.
• Leather: Bags, belts, poufs and babouche slippers, dyed in the tanneries of Fes and Marrakech.
• Metalwork: Pierced brass lanterns, copper trays and teapots.
• Woodwork: Carved cedar in Fes and inlaid thuya wood in Essaouira.
• Zellige: Hand-cut mosaic tiles, the pride of Fes.
• Argan oil: Pressed by women's cooperatives between Essaouira and Agadir, for cooking and cosmetics.
• Jewellery: Silver Amazigh pieces from Tiznit and the south.

3. How an Amazigh carpet is made

Carpets are women's work. The wool is washed, carded and spun by hand, then dyed, traditionally with plants and minerals: madder root for red, indigo for blue, saffron or pomegranate skin for yellow, henna for orange.

The weaver sits at an upright loom at home and ties the rug one knot at a time, working from memory rather than a drawing. The diamonds, zigzags and crosses carry meanings of protection, fertility and family, and every weaver uses them in her own way. A large rug can take several months, and no two are alike.

4. Inside a tannery

The tanneries of Fes have changed little since the Middle Ages. Hides are first soaked in vats of lime and pigeon droppings to strip the hair and soften the skin, then rinsed and trodden by men standing waist-deep in the dye pits.

The colours were traditionally natural: poppy for red, indigo for blue, saffron for yellow, mint for green. The skins are dried on the surrounding rooftops and hillsides before going to the leather workers. It is hard, smelly work, and worth remembering when you bargain for a bag.

5. Where to buy what

As a rule, buy a craft where it is made. The choice is wider, the price is lower and you can often meet the maker.

• Fes: Pottery, zellige, leather and brass.
• Marrakech: The widest choice of everything, at the highest starting prices.
• Essaouira: Thuya wood and argan oil.
• Rissani and the south: Carpets, fossils and desert crafts.
• The Valley of Roses: Rosewater and rose-based cosmetics.

Local tip: The state-run Ensemble Artisanal in each big city sells crafts at fixed prices. Visit it first to learn what things should cost.

6. Crafts of the desert

The south has its own things to bring home, and they are easy to find on the road to Merzouga.

• Fossils and polished stone from the workshops of Erfoud.
• Green-glazed pottery from Tamegroute.
• Silver jewellery in Amazigh and Tuareg styles.
• Blankets and rugs of sheep and camel wool.
• Long cotton scarves for tying a turban.
• Dates from the palm groves of the Tafilalet.

Local tip: Many 'fossils' sold at roadside stalls are carved or repaired. Buy from a workshop where you can see the stone being cut.

7. How to recognise quality

You do not need to be an expert. A few simple checks separate handmade work from factory copies.

• Carpets: Turn it over. Hand-knotted rugs show irregular knots on the back, and wool should smell faintly of wool, not chemicals.
• Leather: Good leather is supple and evenly dyed; a strong smell fades with time.
• Pottery: Check for hairline cracks, and ask whether a glaze is food-safe before using it for cooking.
• Argan oil: Buy from a cooperative, and expect a real price; very cheap oil is usually diluted.

8. Bargaining without stress

Haggling is expected in the souks and is meant to be good-natured. Ask the price, offer about half, and work towards a figure you are both happy with. Never start bargaining for something you do not intend to buy, and feel free to walk away politely. Paying a little more to a craftsman for honest work is never money wasted.

9. Cooperatives, commissions and fair buying

Women's cooperatives for carpets, argan oil and couscous give rural women an income of their own, and buying there is a direct way to support them. Ask who made the piece and where; a genuine cooperative is happy to show you.

It is worth knowing that many shops pay a commission to whoever brings a customer through the door. You are never obliged to buy, whatever tea you have drunk. On our tours we stop at workshops only if you would like to, and you are free to simply watch.

10. Getting your purchases home

Most carpet shops can ship worldwide; agree the cost in writing and keep the receipt. Pottery travels best in your hand luggage, wrapped in clothes. Check your home country's customs rules for larger purchases.

11. What not to buy

• Anything made from protected animals: tortoiseshell, wild animal skins and live tortoises are illegal to export.
• 'Antiques' without paperwork: most are recent, and genuine ones may need an export permit.
• Unlabelled argan oil sold very cheaply at the roadside.
• Pottery with bright glazes for cooking, unless the seller confirms it is food-safe.

Frequently Asked Questions