Saida’s Protective Hanbel

Name: Saida’s Protective Hanbel
Brand: Salam Hello
Price: 395.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

$395.00

While this piece is sold out, don't hesitate to email us at hello@salamhello.com. We can work with the artisan to create a similar handcrafted piece just for you.

This rug was handwoven by Saida who is the president of a female only association located in the southeast of Morocco.

This piece consists of 100% "live" wool, which was carded, brushed and spun by the women of the association. The rug’s colors come from naturally dying the wool using various spice and vegetable blends such as indigo stone, figs, henna, pomegranate skin and saffron to name just a few.

In more traditional rug design, the symbolism is often a wish or depiction of the artisan’s life.

For example, the Hamsa hand also known as the Hand of Fatima

is a palm-shaped amulet thought to be a sign of protection.

The symbol on the top right is named an Amzaigh fibula or Tazarzit. While the use is widespread among numerous North African tribes - its exact form is different from tribe to tribe, but tends to consists of a triangle beneath a semicircle. It's thought to represent femininity in the Amazigh culture.
- Size: 98 cm x 214 cm
- Rug Technique: Intricate Hanbel
- Pile: Flat
- Materials: 100% live sheep’s wool. Organic local plants and spices for dyes.

Made By

Anzal

This Women-Only Association is located in the Village of Anzal, about 30 kilometers north of the popular weaving town, Tazenakht. The Anzal collective was founded in 2007 and is kept alive by women passing the craft down through the generations. Saida, the President of the Association, is our liaison for all our custom orders.

We met the women of Anzal in 2019 on a special day for the Association. After sharing a small space with a men’s Association, the women were finally moving into a bigger space, just for them. The night before our visit, the women had blessed and celebrated the new space with a prayer and a meal of homemade couscous. We were the final visitors to purchase in the old space. The women of the Association told us that our visit answered their prayers for a successful start to their new journey.

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Rug Style

Intricate Hanbel

This style is thought to originate from the area in and around the Village of Tazenakht, an area rich with a weaving history. While the majority of this weave is flat, the design accents are either embroidered or have a slightly higher pile, giving this piece texture and dimension. Every design element comes entirely from the artisan’s imagination. The design elements within this technique tend to depict an array of symbolism in the Amazigh culture.