Moroccan handicraft stems from ancient and cultural traditions

At the start, it was the Berbers who had the strongest impact on Morocco’s cultural and architectural identity, although the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans also left their mark as they travelled through.  However, when Morocco’s cities and ports became the crossroads between the Arab world, the Sahara and Spain, it was the Arab-Muslim civilization which became the predominate influence in Moroccan arts & crafts. The 50 some years of French presence had a marked effect on production and sales. For more than two thousand years, the arts and traditions of these many and varied civilizations have helped to shape and enrich Moroccan handicraft, enabling it to diversify and flourish.

A thriving art form

Today, over 70 different trades employ their know-how to make the most of numerous raw materials: wood, metal, wool, leather and clay, among others. Handicraft continues to develop to meet the needs of the tourist trade, the Moroccans themselves, and the ever-growing international demand for these products.
Moroccan craftsmen also create new products adapted to our modern lifestyles, fusing tradition with contemporary design.

The famous Moroccan pottery

Moroccan pottery, like its ceramics, has its roots in Berber traditions and is the most representative of its arts & crafts abroad. The flagship product is the tajine, but a whole other range has been added to the Arts of the Table. The potters make vases, serving dishes, plates, salad bowls, jugs, pitchers and colored candle jars for dining, kitchen and interior decorating purposes. Each region has its own special clay, colors and motifs, and can be broken down as follows:

• Fès, renowned for its blue,
• Safi, for its multi-colored earthenware,
• As well as Tétouan, Salé and Marrakech,
• The regions of Tétouan, Tata, Guelmim, Souss-Massa and Gharb for their country-style pottery.

Medina-souvenirs.com offers you a complete range of Moroccan tableware. Tajines, plates, jugs, pitchers and decorative vases will bring a touch of magic and authenticity to your Moroccan dinners.

Wood: Hi-tech and handsome

Morocco has exceptional resources when it comes to wood: cedar, acacia, thuja (white cedar), olive, walnut, oak, ebony and lemon trees abound, creating an unparalleled source of wood and beautiful handcrafted products, including top-quality Moroccan furnishings and musical instruments. There are six main wood-working specialties:

• Carved wood for home furnishings with floral and geometric designs, mostly from the imperial cities. These include furniture, chairs, chests, doors, panels…
• Inlaid wood for small objects, historically gun butts, but also furniture. It’s a technique that involves inserting a silver wire around a carefully polished piece of ivory or mother-of-pearl and a specialty of Fès, Tétouan and Rabat.
• Painted wood is used for home furnishings.
• Decorated wood consists of applying leather or fabric to metal-studded wood (wrought-iron, copper or brass) to make decorative mirrors, bird cages, boxes…
• Marquetry, like inlaid wood, is much prized by tourists. It is made with thija (white cedar) wood, and is seen mainly in Essaouira, Fès, Khémisset and Marrakech.
• Stringed-instrument handcrafting of Moroccan flutes, zithers, “guenbris” and “ouds”.

Medina-souvenirs.com offers numerous objects in wood: fashion accessories, kitchen utensils, and Moroccan home furnishings. There is also an assortment of decorative objects, including candleholders, small boxes and cases, all designed with the traditional Oriental elegance.

Jewelry: A Berber legacy

North African Berber art is at the source of Moroccan jewelry handicraft with its inimitable style. A tremendous variety of jewelry is made according to these ancient techniques, which is generally classified into two types:

• Gold jewelry, found mainly in Casablanca and Fès. It includes bracelets, pendants, rings, necklaces, Mdamma, Khamsa…
• Silver jewelry from Agadir, Tiznit, Taroudant as well as Essaouira, Guelmim and Laâyoune, which comprise jewelry boxes, bracelets, pendants, ankle bracelets and rings.

The Medina-souvenirs.com store has made a careful selection of rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and pendants for you, all of them exemplary of the originality and finesse of Moroccan jewelry.

Leather: 100% Morocco

Moroccan craftsmen have worked with leather made from goat and sheep skins for time immemorial; Morocco in fact is almost synonymous with leather-making. The art is now one of the country’s leading areas of expertise. Morocco is known throughout the world for its skills in tanning, the manufacture of leather products, among them handbags and furniture. The tradition has been perpetuated, notably that of leather tinting, offering an extraordinary range of colors. At the same time, more contemporary leather craftwork focuses on leather-decorated home furnishings, in particular a full range of living room furniture including the famous poufs as well as chairs, tables, chest of drawers, and sideboards.

There are five different techniques of leather-working once the skins have been tanned and tinted:

• Slipper-making for the creating of the traditional Arab-Muslim  “babouches”. These famous light, thin and flat shoes are made throughout Morocco.
• Clothes making and peltry, practiced mainly in Agadir, Rabat, Fès and Marrakech for clothing in leather and fleece.
• Repoussé leather for small leather goods such as handbags, overnight bags and belts. A technique using fine iron to highlight elegant motifs.
• Embroidered leather for the making of leather items decorated with silk or gold thread. In Marrakech, these include bags, ankle boots, and mules. In southern Morocco, you can find exquisitely embroidered tinted leather poufs and wall carpets. Fès, Rabat and Taghzout produce desktop accessories, bags and broad belts.
• Gilded leather, a technique of applying gilding to iron to decorate boxes, jewelry cases and desktop accessories.

At medina-souvenirs.com, you’ll find a wide variety of colored leather shoes, slippers, belts and handbags. There are also poufs and diverse decorative objects such as lamps and wall lamps that will add a perfect final touch to the decorated leather of your Moroccan-style living room.

Sheet metal and wrought-iron work to decorate your home

The working of metals, such as iron, bronze and copper, is specific to Moroccan handicraft, which produces a large quantity of objects for decorating the home, its interior as well as its facade and garden. Metal-working includes two activities:

• Sheet metal working, a craft which originated in Brittany, France. The sheet metal workers from Fès, Marrakech, Tétouan and Meknès hammer copper, emboss bronze and cut out brass pour to make lamps, wall lamps, candle holders and decorative lights. They also create utensils, such as the marvelous Moroccan trays, teapots, tea boxes and mirrors…
• Wrought-iron working, in particular in Fès, Marrakech and Safi, turns out magnificent gates and garden furniture, candelabras and lanterns.

The medina-souvenirs.com catalogue presents bronze and silver-plated trays, hand engraved teapots, mirrors and original wrought-iron garden furniture and wall lamps that help to recreate the unique ambience of Moroccan gardens.