Rug with Vertical Brushstrokes
This rug showcases vertical brushstrokes, exemplifying a distinctive style characterized by horizontal layers of pattern blocks resembling painterly strokes. At first glance, it appears as if ancient motifs embellish the rich red, yellow, and soft lilac field, creating a powerful abstract landscape. Unlike the Berbers, who were bound by pile weaving traditions based on formal flat-weave designs, the Arab people had more freedom to express their primitive and abstract iconography. Consequently, this style is more characteristic of Arab craftsmanship (Hufnagel, Adam 2013).
The Rehamna tribes inhabit the Bahira plain, nestled between the Jbilet range north of Marrakech and the Rehamna massif. These tribes consist of two distinct groups: Arab tribes originating from Sudan, who have inhabited the plain since the 13th/14th century, and tribes of Saharan origin.
Rehamna rugs stand out due to their unique features. First, they have an additional selvedge wrapping in black wool or goat hair, which creates distinctive sawtooth indentations on the sides. Moreover, their weavings fall into two main categories: the qtifa, with red/orange open fields, and the zarbiya, whose field is punctuated by a series of abstract motifs similar to those found in neighboring Boujad weavings (Korolnik, 1998).