Rug with Abstract Motifs
Rugs named after the town of Boujad were woven by Arab tribes primarily located in the southwestern foothills of the Middle Atlas mountains. This region facilitated close contact with the Arabs in the Haouz plains around Marrakech, leading to mutual influence in both structural characteristics and designs.
Boujad rugs represent one of the most creative and colorful aspects of Moroccan rug tradition. In this early example, the orange-red background is divided into rectangular compartments, each containing clusters of motifs like dots, lines, and squares—the building blocks of Moroccan woven art. The fine, dense knotting creates an elegant surface, allowing the composition to be expressed with clarity. The striped weft-faced ends and extra-weft side indentations are also typical of the weavings of the neighboring Rehamna tribes.