(Part 3): Streams of Influence: Motives and Origins of Moroccan Carpet Design
by David R.E. Hunt
The Moors
Othello, the central character in Shakespeare's tragedy of matrimonial jealosy, is probably the Moor with whom most of us in the west are familiar . But this group of Mauretainian Berbers have played a decisive role in the history of the Maghrib, having lent their name to both Morocco and Marrakech. Originating from the southeastern portion of the Maghrib, the Moors are of a negro racial stock due to their proximity to subSaharan peoples.
Just as with the Tuareg, the artistic heritage of the Moors has been impacted by the Arabs. In this instance, close proximity as opposed to isolation has resulted in a modification of the repertoire, a crowding/proliferation of design elements and introduction of design elements from outside the traditional Berber heritage.
Upon the demise of the Umayyad caliphate in 1009 AD, the Christians of the north siezed upon the opportunity to regain territory from the Arabs. The Sultan of Seville enlisted the aid of the Moors in fending off the Spanish incursion, yet relinquished power to the Almoravids in the process. Thus, the seat of power was moved from Cordova to Marrakech and these relatives of the Tuareg became the rulers of Morocco untill the middle of the twelfth century, when they were supplanted by the Almohads, a Berber tribe of the Atlas region.
This Great Mosque of Tlemcen, built in 1082 during the Almoravid period, could perhaps serve as an example of the crowding/proliferation of design elements which characterizes the Moorish artistic heritage. It especially contrasts to the minaret of the Qutubiyah mosque, constructed during the Alhomad empire by Atlas Berbers, which will be considered next.
The Atlas Berbers
The Alhomads, Berbers from the plain of the Atlas mountains, supplanted the Almoravids or Moors in the middle of the 12th century and ruled until their dynastic demise near the middle of the 13th century. Given their propensity to build with unfired mud brick, much of their construction is no longer extant. But of that which is, this mosque represents one of the crowning jewels of all Islamic architecture, the Qutubiyah of Marrakech. Their austerity of both temperament and artistry is reflected in the ornaments of the minaret, depicted above.
Fatamid architecture and decorative elements have an interesting combination of styles of various artistic heritage, including those of the Umayyad centered in Damascus, the Abassids of Baghdad, and the Tulunids of Egypt. This, the minaret of the Mosque of Hassan II in Casablanca, was constructed by the reigning dynasty of the present day, which represents the longest continuous monarchy of Islam. The fact of their Tunisian origins and claims of Fatimid ancestry are born out by the ornaments of this minaret, with its minute and repetitive motives, which just as with the adornment of the Rashida of the African Horn, bear witness to their closer spatial proximity to Arab influence.
This is the earliest example of a prayer niche votive with which I am familiar,
and dates from the 9th-10th centuries.
Observations of Moroccan Carpet Design
This Berber cape could be the crown jewel in any collection, and I think much can be learned from examining this piece more closely, for it is my understanding that this cape is the consumate ethnographic document.
The symmetry of the arrangement of the these stemmed triangles, zig-zag lines, chevrons and x's are for the most part linear, yet it is readily apparent that they could be arranged to a diagonal orientation if so desired. Also, note how lines, either zig-zag as on the lateral extremities or conforming to the objects dimensions as above and below, seem to demarcate simple borders. Yet, what I find most interesting about this weaving is this small area defined by these zig-zag lines directly below and apparently integrated into the design of the hood. Note the lines intersecting at right angles, dividing the compartment into a grid and hence the basic symmetry of the so called Turkic format of design composition. Also, these zig-zag lines form the borders of a field, a characteristic of many Moroccan rugs, such as the following.
Notice this central medallion and how it could be drawn from the above
mentioned stemmed triangles.
