A striking Beni Mguild rug, 1960s-70s, displaying a checkerboard design with subtle variations in color and pattern. The rug is made of locally hand-spun wool, which originally contained grey in the white fibers before it was dyed with the colors, a feature typical of older rugs from the region. The reds range from orange and coral to muted tomato red, while the green shows both lighter and darker variations of the same hue. Its overall appearance is further enhanced by the wool’s slight sheen and a low pile with texture.

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.