BENI MGUILD N° 425BM
A considerably old Beni Mguild, dating from the first quarter of the 20th century or earlier, features an underlying grid structure in its overall design. The checkered pattern, with a few subtle variations, is highlighted against a dark background that showcases compelling color shifts. The particular shades, including indigo and yellow, suggest that this pile rug was most likely made entirely with natural dyes, without any chemical dyes—making it exceptionally rare today. The wool fibers need be tested in a chemistry lab to confirm this hypothesis. Similar examples of this type of rug are documented in several publications (more information available upon request).
11'1" × 5'2"
The tribal area of the BENI MGUILD is located in the central portion of the Middle Atlas with Azrou as the largest town in the territory. The Beni Mguild tribe is split up into nine sub-tribes divided into three zones: the Azaghar Plateau region, the ridges of the Middle Atlas proper, and the steppes of the upper Moulouya valley. The knotted rugs of the Beni Mguild have a high pile height (up to 4 cm/ 1.57 in) with a dense structure if used as sleeping rugs. The ones used as floor coverings for festive occasions are lower in pile and even denser in structure. The colors are usually brownish purple or burgundy red, white ones are highly unusual, and in rarer cases also blue or green. The rugs of the Beni Mtir, Ait Seghrouchène (with a dark background), Zayan, Guigou and Ait Sgougou are most often confused with the ones of the Beni Mguild.