We at Amalna Maroc would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays!
While you’re making that holiday list and checking it twice, we would like to remind you that there's still a chance to add a Moroccan rug!
Nestled high in the Middle Atlas Mountains surrounded by farm fields lies the Amazigh village of Ait Hamza, home to Atma Weaving Cooperative. They specialize in the difficult craft of weaving Hanbil, a flat and tight rug with elegantly woven patterns. Their rugs are true pieces of art! This style is also one of the oldest styles of weaving still practiced today. It is a true symbol of Moroccan crafts(wo)manship and the rich Amazigh culture of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Your purchase is what keeps these women weaving beautiful masterpieces, keeping this culture alive!
The rugs are available nowhere else online but from my website! Check out what’s available here. Your order won’t be ready for the holidays, but if it is a gift, we can send you an e-card featuring your order.
About Ait Hamza
Ait Hamza is 30 miles east of Azrou (the semi-urban town in which I live) and 60 miles south from Fes. However, when you drive up and over the cedar forest, a natural divider between provinces, the landscape dramatically changes. The forest begins to thin and opens up to expansive plains. Out in the distance you can see lonely shepherds with their sheep. The mountains in the distance are steep and bare. Unlike the villages around me, the houses here are far and few, with onion and wheat fields spaced in between houses, and most of them are still made of the traditional adobe clay.
Although the locals of Ait Hamza know Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect, almost all of them converse with each other in Shilha, a dialect specific to the region. Shilha could not be more different from Darija. I’ve lived in Morocco for over 6 years and am fluent in Darija. However, when I make the 30 mile journey over the cedar forest, I can’t help but feel a bit like an outsider again, not understanding the language around me. It is a beautiful reminder of the diversity within Morocco and the little sub-cultures within every village.
Project Updates
I want to thank ALL my donors for the love and support over the past 3 plus years. Without you, none of this would be possible. It has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster as I prepare my team and community for my absence. A reminder to my community back in the States: after living abroad for almost 7 years I have decided to move back home. I am forever grateful for this experience, the deep and lasting relationships I have made, and this project. However, the time has come to tackle new adventures. I will spend the next several months with my Moroccan community, wrapping up projects, delegating roles, and soaking up every last minute in the country that at times felt more like home then The Bay Area.
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