Moroccan Wood Furniture: A Trip Through Time and Craftsmanship (Part B)
Moroccan Wood Furniture: Different wood carving designs and their names
Is this room boho-Berber or Andalusian?
I often ask my foreign friends when we step into a Riad in Marrakech.
They usually can’t tell the difference, which inspired me to write this post, to help you spot the differences between these furniture styles and understand their significance.
Moroccan woodworking is a beautiful blend of old and new, mixing Berber and Andalusian styles to create something special and unique to morocco.
When you look at Moroccan furniture, you’ll notice two main types:
Andalusian furniture is all about luxury, with fancy carvings and designs you might find in a palace. It’s the kind of furniture that makes you go “wow!”
Berber furniture on the other hand is more practical. It has designs and symbols that tell stories passed down through families for generations.
These days, many craftspeople mix these styles, making furniture that’s both eye-catching and meaningful.
Let’s dive into the world of Moroccan woodworking designs, and look at what makes Berber and Andalusian styles unique in both carving and painting.
Berber-Amazigh Style in Moroccan wood furniture:
When we talk about Berber design, we’re looking at furniture from Morocco’s indigenous people, created before the spread of Islam. Berber furniture has a down-to-earth feel, inspired by their nomadic lifestyle and close connection to nature.
Key Features:
Geometric and abstract patterns:
These aren’t just pretty designs. They’re symbols unique to Moroccan Berber tribes, carved into furniture or even used as tattoos.
Khorssa and Zekrom:
These are Berber locks and knockers. They show how Berber culture values privacy and family roles. The Khorssa keeps the home secure when the husband is away, while the Zekrom’s distinct knock lets the wife know her husband has returned.
The Berber cross:
While it’s most common in jewelry, you’ll also spot this symbol in furniture. Some think it goes back to when some Berber Amazighs practiced Christianity.
Rattan chairs:
Berber craftspeople often use rattan, a natural material, to create sturdy yet lightweight chairs.
Earth tones:
Berber furniture often sports a rich brown stain. This color choice reflects the importance of sand and earth in Berber life.
Low tables (Mida):
Berbers traditionally sit on the ground, so their tables are usually low or have short legs. These tables, called Mida, are perfect for shared meals and gatherings.
Andalusian-Amazigh Style in wood furniture:
When you look at Moorish furniture, you’re seeing more than just beautiful designs – you’re looking at centuries of history and art.
This style is known for its fancy, detailed carvings that draw heavily from Islamic art traditions. But to really understand Andalusian design, we need to go back in time a bit.
Remember when we talked about the Umayyad Arabs taking over the Persian Empire in Part A of this blog post?
Well, that’s where a lot of these designs come from. The Persians were masters of intricate art, and the Arabs took these ideas and ran with them. Later, when the Abbasid state came to power, they spread these artistic techniques all across their lands, including Morocco.
What makes Andalusian style special is how it blends elegance, refinement, and luxury. It’s the kind of furniture that makes you stop and stare.
Let's look at some of its key features:
Muqarnas:
These are those cool honeycomb-like decorations you might see on ceilings or arches. They started in Persia, but we Moroccans put our own spin on them.
Moucharabie
While not furniture itself, this lattice woodwork often shows up in Andalusian-style pieces. It came from the Middle East, where it was used as a kind of one-way screen for women to see out without being seen.
Geometric lines:
Moroccan artists love to play with lines, creating star patterns that’ll make your head spin. You’ll see these stars everywhere, from furniture to buildings.
Flower power:
Stylized floral motifs are a big deal in Andalusian design. They soften all those geometric shapes and add a touch of nature.
Pillars:
You’ll see pillar designs in furniture from all over the Muslim world, but in Morocco, we’ve turned them into an art form. Our wood turners create beautiful table legs that look like mini palace columns.
Kaym o Nayem (The Standing and sleeping):
This technique has a funny name, but it’s seriously impressive. It comes from Syria and Egypt, and it’s all about creating panels from interlocking pieces of turned wood. Sadly, it’s becoming a lost art in Morocco. My dad is one of the few who still knows how to do it.
The Fusion Andalusian - Berber Amazigh styles in wood furniture:
In Morocco today, we are a vibrant tapestry woven from various cultural threads—Andalusian, Berber Amazigh and Arabs.
Over centuries, these diverse influences have intertwined, creating a rich Moroccan identity that honors and preserves each unique heritage.
Just like every country, there might be occasional discussions about ethnic differences, but they are just that—discussions. Because, At the heart of our unity stands our guiding figure, King Mohammed VI, who represents our collective spirit and shared traditions.
This unity is beautifully reflected in our craftsmanship, especially in the world of wood furniture. Today you can see Moroccan artisans blend Berber cross motifs with Andaluisan floral patterns, to create stunning new pieces, or The fusion of the traditional Berber Mida table with Andalusian geometric lining designs… These are just a few examples of countless others.
As we come to the end of this three-part blog, we’ve taken a deep dive into the world of Moroccan wood furniture. We’ve explored the rich history behind these beautiful pieces, from their origins to the present day. We’ve looked at the materials used and the intricate process of crafting each item. And we’ve discovered the variety of designs and what they mean in Moroccan culture.
But this is just the beginning of our journey through beautiful Morocco. There’s so much more to share about my homeland, and I can’t wait to bring you along on future explorations.
If you’ve enjoyed this peek into Moroccan furniture, why not stick around for more? Keep an eye on our blog for upcoming posts about Morocco’s art, culture, and traditions. And if you want to make sure you don’t miss a thing, join my email list. You’ll be the first to know when new stories and insights are ready to share.
Thank for dropping by.
Regards,
Hassan “Writer, individualist, Northafrican” Boutabaa
PS: Here are links to part A and B if you can’t find them:
PSS: Explore our collection for a while and try to reveal why the listing products are name Andalusian VS Amazigh, or mixture.
