Morocco is a land of unique crafts, with many skills dating back hundreds of years. If you’ve scoured the secreted corners of the souks in Marrakech, Tangier and Fez, it often involves accessing a secret passage to discover a room of weavers or embroidery teams. Basket weaving is an old tradition of spread crafts, using materials in strip form, mainly the leaves of a little palm tree called “Mediterranean dwarf palm”, very common on the south slopes of the High Atlas mountains.
In the Moroccan countryside, the palm leaves were used to weave ropes, baskets, baskets of donkey saddles and various objects of domestic and agricultural use. You will find baskets hand crafted with leaves of this palm tree using traditional techniques of making baskets with hand cut leather handles.
Photo courtesy of Mustapha El Ouizguiti
Moroccan or Berber carpets are available everywhere, you hear the coppersmiths and metal workers before you discover their alleys of metal pounding. On my recent Camel Caravan, I was on the hunt for a brass lantern and handmade baskets. Moroccan lanterns are wonderful pieces of hand craftsmanship and dazzle at night. My team has made me aware of a small firm in Marrakech where I can make my own basket and learn embroidery to personalize the basket. My basket weaving skills are nonexistent, in Merida, I attempted a simple straw tassel binding class with local women, a small child would have better results. I’m happy to leave artistry to professionals and support the locals!
Hat at my Villa last year
Morocco’s cultural wealth comes from traditional crafts; diverse and varied materials are finely worked by hand, with machines and tools that remain largely traditional, to make decorative and everyday objects. Craftsmen handed down from generations, using the same raw materials and maintaining the same tools and craft techniques.
It is above all a country with a rich past, where traditions are deeply rooted. Moroccan art can be classified into two categories: urban and rural. They are cities of art, rich in important traditions from the Orient or Muslim Spain. The oriental influence is particularly concentrated on the creation of rugs, textiles, and embroidery, while the Andalusian tradition is still seen in the arts of ceramics, metal, wood, and leather. If you haven’t visited the leather dying vats, this is an ancient art form, truly an amazing old craft.
Berber or rural art has an older and more “primitive” origin. Objects often have a practical function: furniture, tools, utensils essential to daily life.
Marrakech crafts are deeply rooted in tradition. Craft is passed on to the next generation and those who learn it use it to create real cultural industries.
I hope to meet the basket weavers in Tangier and will share the Marrakech basket excursion!
Marrakech Baskets and Bags
Marrakech Baskets and Bags
Marrakech Baskets and Bags
Marrakech Baskets and Bags
Marrakech Baskets and Bags
Marrakech Baskets and Bags
Marrakech Baskets and Bags
Handmade, but practical objects – let me know if you need a handmade straw hat or a woven market basket with handmade leather handles and your name embroidered on it!
Camel Caravan Three had very specific goals: discover more old city Communal Ovens, meet basket weavers, photograph ancient communal water fountains and of course, browsing antiquarian shops and track down an exclusive cape boutique in Marrakech! The Tangier days of writers and poets and the Rolling Stones have filled tomes… Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote traveled and luxuriated in the 1950s and 1960s. If you haven’t begun your memoir on The Art of Living, you may want to contemplate a sojourn in Tangier.
Tangier, a city located at the northern tip of Morocco, is a captivating fusion of North African, Spanish, Portuguese, and French influences, making it a true crossroads of cultures with a rich Jewish heritage. Tangier medina, by Medina standards, has been restored and updated, it’s still a maze of shops, but the lack of motorbikes and fewer mules trotting the maze of alleyways make exploring a bit more civilized, still a mesmerizing array of goods, but you won’t feel trampled or run over!
The souk of straw weavers apparently closed after Covid, there was a small, scruffy block of shops opening after my departure, my initial disappointment was abated by our amazing guide, Mohammed. A former schoolteacher of history, we were immediately, Simpatico. Mustapha had resourced the brilliant Mohammed, he expressed my extreme disappointment on the straw weavers and shared my other interests…In Marrakech, just behind the Jenaa El Fna square, pass the snake charmers, spice vendors and street vendors, you will find a courtyard of straw weavers with every type of basket, placemats, bottle covers, a plethora of hand made straw objects. Every Wish must be Rewarded!
A short block of shops in Rue de la Liberte, across from the oldest hotel in Tangier produced delighted smiles. I planned to peek inside this famed historic hotel, and the two shops, owned by brothers, on my list, Galerie Tindouf and Bazar Tindouf were across the street.
Bazar Tindouf is in an ancient building which once housed the oldest Jewish bank in Tangier, black and white marble floors are visible, a maze of room upon rooms upstairs and hidden downstairs, holds many secrets. Galerie Tindoff is piled with Moroccan textiles, rarefied art, china and glassware – prepare to be overwhelmed and dusty by the glorious selection!
Galerie Tindouf and Bazar Tindouf Galerie Tindouf and Bazar Tindouf Galerie Tindouf and Bazar Tindouf Galerie Tindouf and Bazar Tindouf
Mohammed advised me on the provenance of many paintings and steered me away from any non-Moroccan objects. The Galerie is a bit more organized; the Bazar is exactly as it sounds…think multiple floors, hallways piled with Spanish Art Nouveau tiles, small cavern like rooms crammed with pottery, textiles, silver, leather bags… I now know where the fabulous El Fenn finds their beautiful décor. I could have filled a crate. If you’ve perused Umberto Pasti’s beautiful architectural books on his Moroccan homes, you will be familiar with these decadent objects.
Poor Mustapha waits patiently while I rapturously poke through piles of vintage Berber jewelry and dust off antique silver objects. Besides a wonderful African beaded object – also seen at El Fenn, I uncovered an enormous silver ring with a carnelian intaglio surface of etched Arabic figures. Centuries before longhand, signet rings were the first tool nobility and aristocracy used to seal their names on letters and documents. Mohammed assisted in my bargaining, the well known owner is very knowledgeable and kind!
The venerable, El Minzah Hotel, across the street, is a historic location, once the top hotel in Tangier, was a favorite hotel of many dignitaries, politicians, and Hollywood stars. Its architecture, fountains and orange trees create a charming atmosphere. Pop in for an afternoon mint tea, soak in the sunshine and enjoy clear views of the Gibraltar Strait and the coast of Spain from the garden terrace. A refreshing sit down after treasure hunting! The Bazar owner’s daughter has a contemporary gallery closer to the medina.
Kasbah Collective. Opened in 2021, Kasbah Collective mixes Moroccan crafts and textiles, fashion, and homewares – hip and chic. Kasbah Collective is more than just a concept store and gallery nestled in Tangier’s emerging, vibrant neighborhood. Their statement of purpose: a haven of curated beauty and art, a dynamic space standing proudly at the intersection of Bab el Kasbah and Rue Kacem Geunnoun. Their mission: to champion authentic artistry and conscious consumption, bridging the gap between local artisans.
Boutique Majid. Opened in 1970, the three story, Boutique Majid, is much more than just an antique boutique. It is a rare and informed collection of textiles and jewelry, silk, and glass, be prepared to delve into the deep histories of Tangier and Morocco. Carpets stacked to the ceiling; the treasures can be overwhelming! Owned by the legendary and knowledgeable, Abdelmajid Rais El Fenni, this boutique reflects travelling and exploring with passion.
Las Chicas. Just outside the old Medina walls, the two-story shop named Las Chicas after the two innovative women who opened the first concept store in Tangier. Shop till you drop here and visit the tearoom cafe for a respite! Elegant and colorful lanterns and candles, pillows and blankets, vintage jewelry, brilliant hued kaftans, tassels, and woven leather handbags.
Madini Fragrance. Where else can you find the heavenly scent of orange blossoms, dates, and jasmine oils? Tangier in a bottle of oil, recreate the experience when you are home. Near the Café de Paris.
Topolina. Just down a narrow passageway from my dining favorite El Morocco Club café, you will find a whitewashed building with a hot pink interior! The owner, French designer Isabelle Topolina, is passionate about color! You’ll find fun fabrics, a collection of vintage fabrics in clothes for men and women. The Tangier outpost consists of three small rooms bursting with exuberant hues and quirky fashions.
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