Meet Khalid, The Veteran Rug-Seller

In Marrakech, we met Khalid - a rug seller who left his desert city of Rissani to share rugs crafted in the mountains with local shopfronts and Berbers located around the capital.



“This is the carpet industry,” he said, “Each region has its own type of carpet service. For example, in the mountains they make carpets suitable for cold weather conditions, whilst people in the desert make a different type of carpet.”

Once it was clear that we understood, Khalid went on to explain the story behind kilim - a carpet style adopted from Turkey before being renamed mirqoum, differing slightly from traditional zarabi rugs that are significantly more difficult to transport. In fact, the kilim is produced via a Berber’s weaving method, a technique that had been passed on generationally from Morocco’s first inhabitants until now. Age-old, tried and perfectly tested.