Moroccan Embroidery

Embroidery is a traditional art deeply rooted in Moroccan popular culture, especially among women.

Embroiderers contribute to the continuity of ancient traditions through very ancient embroidery techniques, unique to Morocco. Craftswomen design and manufacture embroidered garments and other items used in interior decoration. They thus contribute to the enhancement and enhancement of traditional and modern clothing by adding embroidered motifs. While traditional embroidery remains a handcrafted art par excellence to this day, some types of embroidery are also performed by machine.

Embroidery is a quiet activity that requires patience and a refined artistic sense, represented by the harmony of colors, shapes, and materials.

Moroccan Embroidery Styles

The most important centers of traditional Moroccan embroidery are the Marinid cities of Fez, Meknes, and Salé; the Almohad capital of Rabat; the Andalusian cities of Tetouan and Chaouen; and the Portuguese capital of Azemmour. These cities are famous for the artistic styles attributed to them.

Fassi Embroidery

Fassi embroidery is at the top of the pyramid of Moroccan embroidery arts. The Dar el-Makhzen (the royal residence) played a significant role in revitalizing and developing this industry. The needs of the sultan, his harem, his ministers, and his officials for embroidered textiles were diverse and varied, providing clothing, shoes, embroidered bags, bedding, handkerchiefs, pillows, curtains, horse saddles, and other elegant products that met individual tastes, befitted their status, and suited the decorative styles and royal architecture of the palaces.

These arts are rooted in centuries of history, enriched by the historical contributions and significant accumulations of influences from major civilizations, such as the Andalusian civilization, which is considered the product of a blend of Berber, Arab, African, European, and Asian elements, imported from the Maghreb, the Arab Levant, and Europe. This civilization played a clear role in developing this art from the Marinid era, which witnessed an openness to these arts. This was due to the rulers’ recruitment of skilled Andalusian craftsmen, or the voluntary or forced migration of craftsmen to Morocco after the decline of the Andalusian state. Andalusian embroidery gained great fame due to its distinctive precision and the beauty of the shapes, colors, and gilding it achieved, particularly on women’s clothing.

History

Fez has always been an Imperial city with a court and is indeed the oldest of the Moroccan towns known as makhzen or imperial. lt was rich through trade, both with the coast and southwards into Africa.

At various times in its history, Fez welcomed refugees, who brought with them a long cultural tradition and skilled artisans. According to the Zahra al-As, in 1069–70, Yusuf ibn Tashfin, the Moroccan Sultan, brought workmen from Cordova to build or restore numerous buildings.

There was also according to al-Bakri, a flourishing and skilled Jewish community. These factors and those mentioned above served to make Fez a world centre for arts, which were both produced and consumed there — and this is as true of textiles and embroideries as of anything else.

A late 12th or early 13th-century history of Fez tells us: «there were at Fez … 467 funduks [storehouses, especially for foreigners] … 3094 houses of tiraz [ originally these were the official factories of embroidery or fine weaving] and 116 dyehouses… Inside the walls ».

Symbols

The embroidery of Fez uses some of the most ancient design elements of the Mediterranean, as Jeanne Jouin has pointed out in her article. The fleur-de-lys was a symbol of fertility in Egypt and of royalty in Crete.

The 8-pointed star is to be found in Classical times and throughout the Islamic world. It is often associated with the seal of Solomon, and in Morocco appears over and over again; with the hand it forms the almost invariable border of every woven belt.

Stylized vases or lamps were old when the Copts adopted them for their textiles and still form part of the normal repertory for prayer rugs. There are all-over patterns which can be paralleled in Byzantine textiles and even in mosaics.

The symbol of the hand is probably one of the oldest in the world. It is sometimes considered to be the Hand of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet and in North Africa, as elsewhere in the Islamic world, is popularly believed to have immense prophylactic powers.

Types

Fassi embroidery is of two types:

Many may be surprised to hear about Tassel embroidery, as this is the first time they hear about it. Yes, the city of Fez, despite its fame today for Gharza Embroidery and Na’taa Embroidery, its women have known other types of embroidery of which only the name remains today; such as Eastern Embroidery, Alaj Embroidery, and Tassel embroidery. If it weren’t for some rare examples that we find preserved in museum and private collections inside and outside Morocco, we wouldn’t have been able to learn about these extinct arts… especially since even today’s grandmothers’ generation didn’t know about these types of #embroidery. #Tassel_Fassi, the topic of our discussion, for example, has become extremely rare since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Regarding the technique used in this type of embroidery, it is similar to #Hisab_Embroidery or #Gharza embroidery. Also, the decorations or #drawings are the same as we see in the pictures. However, silk threads are replaced by cotton threads covered with silver metal wires, sometimes gilded. It should be noted that these metal wires differ from those used in the na’at embroidery, for which Fez is also famous. They are wide and flat, about one millimeter wide. They are also difficult to work with due to the fineness of the motifs and their small size compared to na’at embroidery. The photographs show details of a magnificent and exquisite example of tessellated embroidery on a “mahrama,” or head shawl, which women used in ancient times, especially after bathing. It was made of cotton fabric measuring 171.44 x 66.8 cm and dates back to the early seventeenth century, during the Saadi period, making it an extremely rare piece. This shawl is now preserved at the Indianapolis Museum under number 33,311, in the Eliza M. and Sarah L. Niblack Collection.

Tarz al-’Uluj: Its name indicates that it is of non-Arab origin. Craftsmen imported it to meet the demands of those affiliated with the Makhzen. Its use has ceased, and it has not been produced in Morocco since the mid-nineteenth century. This embroidery relies on a special technique, one-sided, monochromatic, and is distinguished by its execution according to a pre-prepared design. Some museums and families preserve a few pieces and models of this embroidery, some of which use multiple colors, incorporating gilded threads and silk, creating harmonious and attractive compositions with interwoven details. This is called the “jarda” (garden), combining geometric, animal, or plant shapes, meticulously drawn and blended together according to a careful calculation. In other pieces of the “uluj” embroidery, the Khamisa motif is clearly visible, drawn for its beautiful shape and for the popular belief in its ability to ward off the evil eye (Image 3).

The word ‘uluj (plural, singular, ‘ilj) refers to foreigners, Greeks and Europeans, who, free or forced, found themselves in Ifriqiya or other Barbary states where their adventurous nature and their desire to get rich quickly led them. To achieve their goal, they embraced Islam, which allowed them to access positions of power or to make a career in the navy. The term ‘uluj also applies to all those who were kidnapped at sea or on the coasts of southern Europe and then sold in the white slave market of Tunis or other cities on the Barbary coasts.

“Garzah embroidery” or “calculation embroidery” (calculation stitch, thread stitch, cross stitch, etc.) is executed on a thin silk or finely woven cotton garment. It is not based on a pre-prepared drawing, but is executed directly. It relies on a horizontal or vertical “linear dot” called a “garzah” (stitch), or a diagonal dot called a “nasriya” (Nasriya). From these dots, various shapes are created, such as simple, curved, or reinforced dots, or radiating star-shaped dots. The polygonal dot and stem dot are also used to define or highlight the bands (Image 4).

This embroidery is monochromatic, often dark blue or dark green. Because it is done by hand, it requires the craftswoman’s skill, patience, and precision in embodying the desired designs on both sides of the garment, a prerequisite for mastery. The decorations generally consist of a small frame made up of very fine geometric, plant-like motifs, a wide band composed of plant-like motifs formed from broken lines, and a final, often triangular, frieze composed of pyramidal motifs called “muqebat,” or small domes, that define the final frieze. In addition to these motifs, a number of small motifs are distributed across the entire fabric in a moderate and precise manner, without excess or deficiency. This gives the fabric its own special charm, especially if the craftswoman is a skilled artist with an aesthetic taste, adept at choosing colors, fabrics, and shapes. In some products, the influence of the Ottoman Turkish school is evident in floral and vegetal motifs depicting lilies, dating back to the 17th century.

Stitch embroidery is also used to create interior furnishings such as tablecloths, bedspreads, curtains, and sofas, as well as belts, trousers, scarves, and women’s handkerchiefs. 

Brides often embroider their trousseaus with it, such as bedspreads, handkerchiefs, and henna kaftans. 

Among the embroideries are ancient motifs such as the eight-pointed star on ancient Umayyad art motifs, and the lily, which has occupied a large list of Mediterranean art since ancient times, along with numerous botanical, geometric, and animal motifs (photo at the beginning of the article). The Batha Museum in Fez houses many masterpieces of Fassi embroidery.

The Fassi belt is considered one of the most beautiful and exquisite pieces of women’s embroidery. It was worn by wealthy urban women over their embroidered kaftans, which were also wrapped several times around the waist. Unlike other types of embroidery, the belt is distinguished by the multicolored threads used in it.

Meknes embroidery:

Its style is similar to that of Fez, and it is considered a blend of urban Fez and authentic Amazigh tastes. The use of Amazigh motifs adds richness and distinction.

Embroidery is done using the counted stitch technique, and offers a wide variety of warm color layers. Seven bright colors give us a two-faced embroidery that combines harmonious and intertwined geometric and plant motifs (Image 6). Today, given the growing demand for this style, it is also widely produced in Fez.

Salé Style

The women of Salé reproduce the Fassi and Meknassi Merinid styles, with slight variations resulting from the influence of some European styles, particularly from Italy, whose textiles gained a wide reputation for their quality and the beauty of their motifs (Image 7). This style had a significant presence in a number of Moroccan cities located on the Atlas Coast, most notably Azemmour, which will be discussed later.

In general, the Marinid style remained faithful to the Islamic Andalusian decorative style, which relies on characteristics, most notably symmetry, mathematics, repetition, and stylistics:

Symmetry: This is a geometric symmetry or balance in the relationships between the parts and units that make up the shape.

Mathematical: The relationships of shapes are based on equality, opposition, or parallelism. This results in the distribution of smaller and smaller units in the overall shape taking on a mathematical pattern that is endlessly unstable.

Repetition: The practical result of the combination of systematic and mathematical in a form. Their combination results not only in the repetition of the partial units, but also in the repetition of the image of the void resulting from the transcendence of these units and the repetition of the movement arising from the symmetry of the units and voids, up and down, left and right.

Stylistic: Transforming natural elements and integrating them into geometric mental shapes such as squares, pentagons, and other shapes, as well as circles and interlocking lines, and abstracting natural shapes until the flower becomes a mere mental symbol representing part of the overall mental movement in the shape (6).

Rabati Style

Rabat is the capital of Morocco, and its embroidery style differs from that of Fez. Rabat embroidery is often done on white cotton and tends to focus on a single color embroidered with silk thread. Sometimes, bright, contrasting colors are used. The stitches are usually close together, forming a cohesive pattern. Floral or geometric patterns are the most common.

Rabat is characterized by two types of styles: old and new.

The old style probably dates back to the era of the Almohads, who founded the city. The ascetic Almohads were inclined toward simplicity and averse to ornamentation and extravagance. Therefore, their buildings were characterized by their massive size and simple decoration, which creates an impression of austerity, strength, and clarity. This is also the case with the old Rabat style, which is based on drawn patterns on fabric, executed with thick threads in blue or dark red, sometimes in both red and blue (Image 8), or with the addition of yellow. Broad, solid designs, their twists inspired by plants, are often suitable for large textile pieces used as door curtains. Therefore, they are decorated with designs resembling niches or broad prickly pear leaves on both sides of the fabric (Image 9).

Perhaps the call of Sultan Yaqub al-Mansur al-Muhajir for women to abandon lavish designs and settle for delicate patterns was well-received by women, who responded to it, abandoning the old Rabat style with its strict decorative motifs, which were deemed too burdensome by the refined, elegant taste of women.

The development of this style targeted the decorations. The ancient broad plant motifs were modified and redesigned into small, delicate, and delicate floral motifs in a variety of beautiful colors, pleasing the eye and delighting the viewer (Image 10). These beautiful, exquisite plant motifs, which enrich Rabat embroidery with a variety of colors, are perhaps a relic of the Jewish presence in the city of Salé, adjacent to Rabat, where they sought refuge after their expulsion from Andalusia, bringing with them a number of aspects of Andalusian sophistication. Salé experienced waves of Jewish asylum after their expulsion from Portugal during the sixteenth century. Among them were hundreds of Jewish widows who worked as embroiderers with gilded Sicilian threads, teaching their art to the Muslim and Jewish women of Salé (7). Supporting this hypothesis is the fact that many ancient embroidered pieces were created with gilded threads from Italy, while others were created on cotton and lace fabrics imported from Italy. This is despite the fact that these embroideries lack any religious symbols that might indicate their identity. These delicate plant motifs demonstrate the artistic flair of these creative women, demonstrating their skill in combining plant forms, twigs, and flowers and creating them in an attractive and impressive way.

Azmouri Embroidery

Derived from the city of Azemmour, it is also called the Seven Embroidery. It is considered the pride of the Azemmour family and the pinnacle of its artistic output. Many studies indicate that there was an embroidery workshop in Azemmour employing more than 60 women, most of whose production was exported. Embroidery lessons were also given there to young girls.

The city was also famous for other types of embroidery, such as spring (plant) embroidery, ancient marsh embroidery, and flower and shammoum embroidery. The colors used in the Shaqfi embroidery are made of Fassi silk, green, blue, purple, red, yellow, and brown. The most famous type of embroidery is the Seven Embroidery, done in yellow and black (Image 11).

This Azemmouri style is classified as a stitch or counting style. It uses silk threads of two colors, the most important of which are crimson and black. However, it is unique in its paintings, which form a harmonious, integrated, and dense unit, composed of geometric, floral, or star-shaped plant motifs, along with animal motifs depicting familiar animals such as peacocks or mythical creatures such as dragons, which are widespread in Spanish and Italian styles. The Moroccan influence is likely due to familiarity with embroidery imported from Venice, Italy, which entered the country during the Saadian dynasty, beginning in the sixteenth century, by traders following the Portuguese occupation of the city. It is well known that animal motifs are rare in Moroccan Islamic textiles, while they are common in Moroccan Jewish textiles.

This style is often used to create decorative fabric bands ranging in width from 10 to 40 centimeters and up to two meters in length. These bands are used as curtains or to drape bedspreads or mattresses. Today, it is sometimes used to decorate women’s djellabas.

Tetouan Style

Tetouan blends diverse Islamic cultural elements, as well as diverse ethnic and religious influences. In addition to the prominent Andalusian influence brought by Andalusian immigrants who settled in the city since the fifteenth century, Tetouanis were introduced to Ottoman Turkish style by Algerians who migrated there during the nineteenth century. Although this influence was late in arriving, it was significant because the Ottoman influence blended elements from various Asian and African Islamic cultures that were subject to Turkish domination and control. This blending of these diverse cultural elements enriched Tetouan’s cultural fabric.

Tetouan style is typically applied to fine and expensive garments, such as linen and silk, which are distinguished by their beautiful colors. The embroidered decorative elements are created with brightly colored silk thread and are primarily composed of plant motifs.

Some museums contain artwork dating back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which witnessed the spread of Andalusian culture to the region, brought by migrants from Andalusia. Remains from the seventeenth century also reveal monochromatic embroidery, typically purple, green, or orange, over a white cotton or linen garment. The abstract motifs in this style often repeat plant motifs in the form of closed circles. Most evidence of this Andalusian-Tétouan style dates back to the nineteenth century. In all these embroideries, we can see motifs of Andalusian Nasrid and Mudéjar origin. Among the most important of these works is the one called “Ta’jira,” which is unique to Tetouan, unlike any other Moroccan city:

“Ta’jira”: (Image 12) is embroidered on precious fabric such as linen or silk, preferably yellow or white. The embroidered decorative elements are created using the “Rashm” technique, drawing with brightly colored silk thread. They are composed of plant motifs, composed of intertwined, multi-colored flowers. A variety of items are created with this technique, including traditional “mosquito net” bedspreads, traditional clothing, decorative covers, curtains, and more, which form an essential part of the bride’s bridal ensemble.

To complete the embroidery, the girl must place a pillow over her knees, as she wraps the finished work in a cotton roll to protect it.

The “tanshifa” (scarf): This longitudinal scarf is meticulously embroidered (Image 13). It is used to veil women during the bride’s engagement or wedding, in the belief that it protects them from the evil eye and envy, and wards off evil. It is only used during the wedding. Tetouan is famous for it, and it is made on a silk garment in eleven colors. It has two sides (mazlaj) and (markham), which are still present today, although it is made with a sewing machine, which is unable to produce two-sided embroidery, unlike traditional hand embroidery.

Tetouan and its surrounding areas are also known for stitch embroidery, using silk threads over linen fabric and employing the counted thread technique. Its decorations consist of geometric designs in a single, usually dark color or two, reminiscent of Andalusian architectural elements such as arches and domes, and sometimes abstract plant motifs.

Chaouni Embroidery

Chefchaouen, a city adjacent to Tetouan, is known for the authenticity and richness of its embroidery, the most beautiful pieces of which date back to the sixteenth century. Its embroidery is characterized by its tight, compact construction, resembling the Egyptian Coptic style. Its embroideries are used as rugs, chest covers, door curtains, and wall coverings, as well as clothing (Image 14).

Chaouni embroidery uses silk threads in various colors, as well as gold and silver threads, on cotton, silk, and linen fabrics, as well as velvet. Wide colored bands alternate with decoratively drawn flowers within repeated hexagons and diamonds, with an eight-pointed star at the center of the embroidery. These motifs can only be compared to the Spanish Islamic embroidery of the Granada region (8).

Berber Embroidery:

Some say that the use of embroidery on Berber women’s headdresses was inspired by the tattoos they practiced. As tattoos became less common, more women began embroidering their headdresses. They often embroidered bright colors against a dark background, drawing inspiration from nature in the design.

Machine Embroidery:

Although hand embroidery is desirable in Morocco as a status symbol, machine embroidery is gaining popularity due to its lower cost and faster production. Most women can distinguish the stitches, but over time, people’s awareness of what makes hand embroidery unique is decreasing. Machine embroidery is more popular in Rabat than in Fez.

Gold Thread:

A popular type of embroidery in Morocco, especially in Fez, is gold thread embroidery. This luxurious decorative embroidery is often used for ceremonies, such as weddings, or on festive clothing. It is often done on heavier fabrics, such as leather, velvet, and silk. This style is also used on pillows, caftans, wall hangings, and even slippers.

The technique used in gold thread embroidery is basting, where the gold threads are traditionally secured with a strong thread. Male craftsmen often drew and cut the patterns before the women embroidered them. There are many different designs in gold thread embroidery, but the most common are teardrops, circles, and floral motifs.

Embroidery on leather:

Moroccan embroidery on leather is a beautiful and intricate art form that blends traditional craftsmanship with luxurious materials. It’s often used to decorate bags, slippers (babouches), ottomans, poufs, belts, book covers, and jackets. The embroidery typically features geometric patterns, floral motifs, and arabesques, often stitched in vibrant silk threads or metallic gold/silver thread.

Moroccan Embroidery with Sfifa and Aqad

Sfifa and aqad are traditional embroidery techniques, rooted in the artisan workshops of Fez and Rabat and documented as early as the 1930s by Jean Besancenot. Sfifa, a handwoven silk or metallic trim, frames garments like caftans, jellabas, and jabadors while aqad, delicate hand-tied knots, serve as both closure and ornament.