The Moroccan Embassy in Madrid paid tribute to Moroccan Amazigh carpets and to the women weavers of the High Atlas during the opening of the exhibition “Woven Landscapes” at the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory headquarters on Tuesday evening.
The exhibition brought together a selection of hand-knotted and flat-woven rugs made by master weavers from top-quality Siroua wool, soaked in henna harvested from desert plateaus.
This event strives to highlight a distinct, ancestral Moroccan legacy via the application of traditional Amazigh knot-weaving skills, natural colors, and cultural themes.
The collection celebrates ancient Moroccan culture while also highlighting the brilliance and experience of local women.
The goal of this exhibition–the first of its type in Spain–is to showcase this art form rich in traditional materials and craftmanship, as well as to delve into the origins of this legacy created at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains.
Morocco’s ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, emphasized that Amazigh is an important part of Moroccan identity, which has always thrived on multilingualism and cultural diversity.
Benyaich recalled King Mohammed VI’s decision to make the Amazigh New Year a paid vacation day, highlighting the King’s speech in July 2001 which validated the Amazigh dimension of Moroccan identity, as well as the Sovereign’s speech in October of that same year announcing the creation of the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture.
The 2011 Constitution enshrined the Amazigh language as an official language on an equal footing with Arabic, thus consolidating Morocco’s cultural diversity.
It cannot be denied that it is crucial to preserve this art form by providing these women a supportive environment so that future generations can continue to preserve this ancestral heritage, said event supervisor Kavita Pamar in a statement to news agency MAP.
“This exhibition is the culmination of a long journey, the main aim of which is to preserve a heritage that has existed in Morocco for several centuries,” said Shane Ordovas, founder and manager of Atelier Talasin.
Visitors will still have until February 23 to discover the “Woven Landscapes” exhibition.