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 Traditional industries and shopping

Traditional industries and shopping
Moroccan lamps are the best way to recreate your holiday moments back home 🪔 Choose them wisely, the shape can completely change the atmosphere 💛. By @lorrainehks

Traditional industries and shopping

Moroccan traditional industries and the art of life
When wandering around the souk, the made everyday items will definitely come to your attention. And when you return to your homes, you will decorate your homes with them.

Table arts:

At the corner of one of the alleys of ancient cities in Fez, Meknes or Marrakesh, you will undoubtedly find a craftsman who specializes in making zellige mosaic. Collecting shards of roasted clay can make decorated tablecloths that are mounted on a purpose-built cast iron. Do not hesitate to acquire these traditional tools, as all traditional craftsmen master the export rules.

A variety of times:

Pottery makers are pleased to display their products to visitors and invite them to drink a cup of mint tea. You will find all kinds of ceramic pots, such as plates, plates, bowls, mugs and vases, with which you will prepare and decorate your kitchen. Your guests will be dazzled when they see the tagine or the bowls where you will be served salad.

Rugs and textures:

When you enter the markets of Rabat, enjoy the most aesthetic rugs in Morocco, by separating their high quality that give aesthetics to salons and entrances to homes.In the south, especially in the villages, you will discover the Berber traditional industry distinguished by its simplicity and which depends on the hand in weaving the rugs.

The art of tanning:

After an amazing visit to the famous tanners in Fez and Marrakesh and later to leather goods shops, we understand why the art of tanning has taken root in Morocco, because the more elaborate the work the higher quality the materials. So please have a new case or a strong travel bag.
Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy the art of our life, and easily acquire all the everyday tools or decorative tools that you find abundantly in most Moroccan markets.

The art of beauty:

Do not forget that Morocco manufactures and proposes a series of traditional cosmetics. Welcome to you and take advantage of this ancient experience.

Staff, always and never:

Argan oil is a Moroccan specialty only. The argan tree grows and bears fruit on our lands, specifically in the southwest of Morocco, near Agadir, Essaouira and Taroudant. We use this oil in cooking, especially in cooking couscous. However, argan oil gained international fame when it became used as a cosmetic.

A women's product par excellence:

Argan oil has recipes known for a long time by Berber women who created cooperatives to produce this oil. Welcome to these cooperatives to learn about the stages of argan oil production.

Good treatment:

You can easily obtain toiletries for Moroccan women, especially in bathrooms, for example. You can also bring all you need from traditional cosmetics, such as natural sponges, black soap, pumice stone or alum stone ... in addition to lotion, which is a Moroccan specificity and cleansing clay perfumed with rose water or jasmine ... Ali Baba's cave awaits you at the service Your comfort ...
Moroccan natural materials are considered of high quality. Moroccan producers and craftsmen will always be waiting for you and are at your disposal to provide all explanations and explanations regarding the techniques of their predecessors.

Return to the traditional:

Moroccan artisans are quickly adapting to the tastes of clients who appreciate modern art, as the drawings, colors and skills of their ancestors are today at the service of contemporary trends and currents.

Marker colors:

What is the most authentic thing from the Moroccan language? However, the most recent creations of women are colored by the hashtag or generally in bright or golden colors. Who would have thought that we could dance to techno music wearing the Moroccan rhetoric and keeping pace with modernity? The art of tanning, in turn, was influenced by this simple modernity: we will find a handbag or a travel bag colored in red, blue or bright yellow.

A successful business:

Jewelry boxes keep pace with the times. Although they are manufactured with the same technology, wood or metal materials. With the passage of time, it gradually lost its ethnic characteristics. And after serious consideration of the design, you will notice that it offers you the same quality, but with shapes and drawings inspired by the present.

Effects Forum
On your way, you will find creative people who keep abreast of the present without compromising the craft of their forebears. In front of a traditional product and pieces designed with modern drawings, jewelers try to give a modern touch to Berber jewelery, making it suitable for every time and place. This same boldness opened new horizons in the field of weaving. This indicates that Morocco is keeping pace with its times without compromising its deep-rooted identity.
Away from the concept of conservatism and retrenchment in its past, Morocco wagered on modernity to meet the needs of the modern era.



Moroccan traditional industry

Moroccan traditional industry

Magical lanterns shop. @alexstelma
Magical Lanterns Shop. By @alexstelma

Moroccan traditional industry or craftsmanship is a historical heritage and is a source of civilization, art and important cultural and human values ​​linked to the distinct and varied history and customs of the Moroccan people. Moroccan traditional industry reflects its creativity in a range of shapes, colors and various materials, including wood, leather, metals, copper, textiles and pottery, which are changed and transformed by the craftsman with techniques he uses from the inherited heritage and traditions that have been able to maintain their continuity and which are highly popular by the part. Foreign tourists.

Morocco is famous for its traditional industries, which are done with high skills and quality, and is an important factor in the prosperity of the tourism sector in the country. There are many traditional industries in Morocco, and we find some of the most important of them:

Oldest tannery - Fez.
Oldest Tannery - Fez. By @rauljichici

Leather industries: which is represented in everything related to tanning, such as the manufacture of tanning, the manufacture of ragweed, the manufacture of shoes, the manufacture of saddles, the manufacture of bags, the manufacture of leather clothes, the manufacture of chairs and sofas, not to mention the embroidery on the leather.

Wooden industries: which are considered one of the fine arts in Morocco, which includes all products and designs made of wood, such as hand-made wooden furnishings that represent most of the furniture in homes in Fez in particular and Morocco in general, and the presence and diversity of trees such as cedar, pine, olives and lemons helped develop This technical industry.

Moroccan rugs - Marrakech.
Moroccan Rugs - Marrakech. By @eyeschipha

Textile industries: which include spinning with wool, weaving carpets, sewing each of the robes, caftans and bedding, as well as sewing bags and bags. Despite the renewed Western fashion trends that have become widespread, we find the Moroccan identity of clothing strongly present in all groups, as the rhythmic differences and the diversity of colors are made A variety of distinctive and unique fabrics.

Clay and stone industries: which includes everything related to ceramics, clay pottery, tiles, zellij, mosaics, grinds and tagines, as well as engraving on marble, stone and stucco, which are the most important things that highlight the originality and splendor of the Moroccan traditional craftsman product, and the transformation from soil into outstanding masterpieces such as the tagine. It represents a clay pot that is used for cooking, but its shape varies in different regions of Morocco.

Moroccan Pottery - Marrakech.
Moroccan Pottery - Marrakech. By @destinationchaser
The look you give to Moroccan pottery ❤️

Silver and gold industries: The art of making silver jewelery, or the so-called "nuqra", has a special place in Moroccan folklore. Its formulation and use became common among the inhabitants of villages in particular, as traditional craftsmen, since ancient times, have always moved around From one region to another, bringing with them their skills, tools and products.

Moroccan Artisanal Jewelry.
Moroccan Artisanal Jewelry. By @meticul0so

This manual skill was able to blend the civilizations of different peoples that the country had known through the ages, such as Phoenician, And Byzantine, Roman, African and Andalusian, and no evidence of that is what is found in the national museums of Ancient archeology, as well as the texts proven by historical documents that talk about silver mines and commercial exchanges Their own and their uses by the inhabitants and the sultans.

It is similar to the classification recognized by researchers in the field of traditional Moroccan crafts, from urban and rural Moroccan jewelery is classified into urban jewelery based on gold and precious stones, and village jewelery made from Silver or painted metal, and is characterized by its thickness and large size.

Despite what is currently known as silver jewelry in terms of diversity in shape and the multiplicity of manufacturing techniques and decoration, they are They are still traditional jewelery, in which the manufacturer relies on simple techniques and limited tools that are not very different from Tools that his predecessors used thousands of years ago.

Traditional industries are considered one of the most important Moroccan artistic components, as they are the link between the past and the present. It includes many of the arts that are the main activity and source of livelihood for a wide range of Moroccans. Diverse and complex, it reflects the distinguished level of civilization of Moroccan society.

Moroccan Jewelry and Tiznit

Moroccan Jewelry and Tiznit

Moroccan Jewelry and Tiznit

Morocco has an ancient tradition of  jewelry craftsmanship which continues today. Morocco’s Jewish population grew over  many centuries and they were the artisans who created the jewelry as the muslims for religious reasons would not work with silver and gold. The jews and the berbers intermarried and there were a number of jewish berber tribes.


Berber adornments reflects ancestral customs and the berber lady's gems was and still is and significant aspect of her share. Photos of Atlas clans show them with huge golden and accessories and headbands of silver coins and pivoted silver wristbands with mind boggling and representative plans. Pieces of jewelry additionally have semi valuable stones and charms. A typical image to avert the hostile stare is the hand of Fatima, the little girl of the Prophet Mohammed. The quality of this legacy is as yet alive today and it is perhaps the most extravagant articulation of Morocco's way of life and style. 

Two customs of gems craftsmanship experienced childhood in Morocco in the towns where the gems is frequently gold decorated with valuable stones and in the South and the sahara. Berber and Tuareg adornments customs intermixed and the Almoravid tradition originated from the sahara.

The southern gems is of silver and bronze and ladies regularly wear adornments of silver or bronze with mathematical or botanical shapes. Ladies wear fibula adornments on a dress, on their chest and as hair decorations. The fibula is a triangle frequently silver, engraved and adorned with shaded stones, used to fix the hanging of the "Selham" or burnouse ( a shroud).

In the south Atlas, the "Nbala", pivoted wristband, is ordinarily made with wonderful and vivid examples. In Tiznit, Tafraoute and Inezgane, diamond setters sell in the bazaars old and special pieces thought about uncommon bits of craftsmanship. Taroudant is additionally certainly justified regardless of a visit. 


The walled town of Tiznit is a significant community for gems and has a yearly gems celebration. It was established in 1881 by Sultan Hassan I. It is situated between the Atlantic coast and the Atlas mountains. It is the most celebrated spot for silver-smith's in Morocco and is additionally acclaimed for lavish blades and blades. There is a souk each Thursday and a flourishing adornments market. It is a smart thought to visit the Ensemble Artisanal in Tiznit before dispatching into the souk and starting to deal. It gives you a thought of what is accessible, the various styles and critically, the costs. The Ensemble Artisanal is a helpful with fixed costs. The Ensemble des Artisnal on Avenue Mohammed V in Marrakech is likewise a decent spot to call into on the off chance that you are wanting to travel south and investigate neighborhood markets and souks. 


You should know that some silver gems might be "Berber silver", a combination of silver, nickel and lead.

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The History of Moroccan Jewelry

The History of Moroccan Jewelry

@ibtifromthevalley


Morocco is rumored for the magnificence of its specialties, and adornments is unquestionably one of them. What makes Moroccan Jewelry so exceptional is the craftsmans that handcraft them and the ladies that gladly wear them. Moroccan Jewelry is engaging, for its tasteful incentive as well as for its representative history. 


The historical backdrop of Moroccan Jewelry has begun quite a while past. For a long time, Morocco has invited diverse settler gatherings. After the Spain Reconquista in 1492, numerous Jewish silversmiths came to Morocco and carried with them their aptitude in term of gems making strategies. They began to impart their insight to Berber neighbors. Around then, Moroccan adornments was absolutely made of silver and the most well known methods utilized were plating, etching, and filigree. Semi-valuable stones, for example, golden, coral, and turquoise just as talismans were frequently connected to the bit of adornments. 


Berber ladies wore such an extensive amount those gems pieces that it even turned out to be important for their character. On one hand, securing gems had a monetary significance for the Berber people group. Indeed, it was considered as the private property of the Amazigh lady. If there should be an occurrence of financial emergency, she could choose to offer her pieces so as to help her family. Then again, it empowered her to depict who she genuinely was utilizing an exceptional blend of neckbands, headbands, studs, and arm bands. 


For the most part, all the bits of Moroccan gems were joined with an ornament that has a particular meaning. The most famous ones were and still are the hamsa and fibula. 


The Hamsa is otherwise called "the Hand of Fatima" since it represents the hand of the prophet's girl. Its primary conviction is that the wearer will be shielded from hostile stare and adversity. The fibula is an image of ladies shape and fruitfulness. Basically worn by Berber ladies, it mirrors the immaculateness of the lady of the hour just as her capacity for multiplication. 


Previously, wearing a bit of Moroccan adornments was significantly more than simply adding an assistant to your outfit, it spoke to the main way a lady needed to uncover her interesting character. Today, as Moroccan Birds, we need to bring back that thought of uniqueness by upgrading the inward excellence of each and every lady through the announcement adornments that we offer. We return to Moroccan adornments that was once worn by Berber ladies. Mixing Moroccan heritage with the present most mainstream pattern is our Moto.


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Language in Morocco

 


Moroccans speak many different languages however the lingua franca is Darija, a dialect of Arabic.  It's comparable to West African creole; a combination of several different languages (predominantly Arabic, French, Spanish and Berber).  

In fact it's such a blend of languages that most Arabic speakers outside of Algeria and Tunisia can't even understand Moroccan!  If you're looking to use Arabic outside of these three countries I would not recommend learning Darija.  However if you've got a love for Morocco, have Moroccan in-laws or simply want a challenge by all means give Darija a shot!

Here are some sites to get you started;

I recently found learnissimo and think it's pretty awesome – as an ESL teacher in the past I think this is a good beginner resource.  It shows the words in English, then pronounces them in darija, shows you the word in darija and an action to go with it.  (It has lots of other languages too if you want to brush up on another!) For a small fee you can download the mp3 and print a PDF of the lessons.

Speak Moroccan Arabic – This is a message board-type website that is a good resource as you get going on your Darija journey.

Moroccan Language – Sign up here and get 6 free audio mini-lessons on Darija

The Peace Corp Manual on Moroccan Arabic – pretty good (and free!) book that will get you conversational

Moroccan Arabic Vocabulary – is a great blog that sadly is no longer being updated but has tons of vocab with great variations and intricacies of each word.

If you're a real language lover you might like this great chart that shows the specific pronunciations of each letter as written and specific to Moroccan Arabic (not for beginners!)

For those people who are interested in learning how to read and write in standard Arabic – Madinah Arabic is a good free resource to get a grasp on the basics.  I've rarely seen Darija written in Arabic script, instead it's most often written in Latin script and phonetically spelled out with the use of letters to replace sounds that don't exist in other languages.

If you prefer books try some of these;

A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic with MP3 Files – This is one of the most comprehensive texts compiled.  It was created in the 70's and so some words are a little out of date.  (Remember darija is the “street” language so just like we don't say “groovy” now some words are no longer in style in darija).  You do get a CD with this book – which is great for audio learners.

Moroccan Arabic: Shnoo the Hell is Going on Hnaa? A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija.  Aside from the funny title I own this book and really do like it.  It's not as in depth as the basic course, it's a pretty slim volume actually.  However the author does a good job getting down what needs to be learned.

Lonely Planet Moroccan Arabic Phrasebook.  Heading to Morocco for a visit?  This book will come in handy especially if you find yourself off the beaten path and only speak English.  When I met my husband we used this book constantly to communicate when our French faltered!

Travel Talk: Moroccan Arabic.  If you're an audio person this might be a good resource for you.  I haven't personally tried this series but it looks promising!

Also, make sure to check with your local library.  Morocco didn't just become en vogue today – it was a hot spot in the 1970's and they might have some audio recordings/ books that I haven't even heard of!

Lastly some great videos

From Speak Moroccan (another nice website!)

– Weather Phrases in Moroccan Arabic

– Count from 1-10 in Darija

– Colors List in Darija

– How to Greet People in Darija

Do you learn better with a teacher?

If you want to learn Arabic with the help of a teacher make sure to read this post I wrote on learning darija when you don't live in Morocco.

Extension

As you continue on your learning path take as many opportunities as you can to be exposed to the language.  I've learned nearly 100% of the darija I know through conversation.  But that's what works for me.  

Seek out Moroccan TV shows/clips or movies, listen to the Moroccan news, immerse yourselves in conversations (if you're lucky enough to have Moroccans around you!) Even if you don't understand what's going on you will start to pick up words, phrases and eventually the entire conversation.

If you've got more Darija learning sites, books, audio or video clips please email me so that I can add them!

By: Marocmama

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