Beyond Marrakech

Instant Elegance!

2013-05-01T14:52:00.000+01:00

Yes well, officially these are curtain ties but they also look amazing as hanging decoration at the ends of a curtain pole, a mirror, a headboard, a wardrobe knob etc. These beautiful handmade objects of desire give an instant touch of drama and elegance to any room

Available on www.beyondmarrakech.com

Oh, Those Ivory Beni Ouarain Carpets!

2013-03-06T15:13:00.000Z

Marie Aimée Lucas-Robiquet (French, 1858 - 1959)

Just arrived, vintage ivory Beni Ouarain carpets!

BO436 (410 x 230 cm)

BO437 (315 x 206 cm)

BO438 (335 x 195 cm)

BO439 (370 x 190 cm)

BO444

BO440 (400 x 200 cm)

More Beni Ouarain carpets on my new website www.beyondmarrakech.com

Tnine Berber Market

2013-03-04T20:45:00.000Z

Tnine means Monday in Arabic and every week on this day there is the Berber market. It is the biggest market in Ourika and folks gather from near and far for their weekly supplies and more. The market is a place to socialise, to inform about local news, to hear the latest gossip, to visit the barber or consult traditional doctors. Groceries are bought, deals are made and when all business is done donkey backs, trucks and local taxi's are loaded with the new supplies for the journey back home.

Magical Essaouira

2013-01-13T19:13:00.000Z

Mystical and magical Essaouira, history breathes hauntingly through the streets of this town. Dark, small alleys and the many arches whisper tales of times long gone by and it only needs a little imagination to visualise the caravan trade from sub-Saharan Africa that once arrived in this eighteenth century port.

Essaouira has inherited a wonderful blend of cultural influences from the diverse ethnical groups that have inhabited the town. The Arabs, Berbers, Jews, Africans and Europeans have all contributed to the rich heritage of old traditions and the artistic spirit of this town.

Essaouira is one of the most photogenic towns of Morocco, colourful, dramatic, enchanting and always ready for the perfect pose!

Happy New Year

2012-12-31T20:08:00.002Z

It has been a little quiet from my side. Life has been wonderfully hectic and exciting and looking back at 2012 on this last day of the year, I can only conclude that it has been a great year!

I wish to thank everyone for all the support that I have received, the many kind words that have literally been an inspiration to write, to source and to launch the new Beyond Marrakech website.

I am sincerely grateful for old friendships that have persevered, despite distance and absence and I am delighted with the new friendships near and far.

A wonderful New Year’s Eve to you all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

And The Winner Is....

2012-11-23T18:08:00.000Z

A big thank you to everyone for taking part in this giveaway!

Many heartfelt thanks for all the comments, likes, pins, follows and visits to my new website!

The winner of this beautiful vintage Moroccan wedding blanket is

Leslie in Adams Morgan

Please get in touch with me at danielledonker@gmail.com to claim your lovely Handira.

Beyond Marrakech Giveaway; A Moroccan Wedding Blanket

2012-11-01T23:18:00.001Z

The new website www.beyondmarrakech.com is up and running! A virtual bazaar with all the Moroccan treasures that we love!

To celebrate the launch of the website we are giving away this gorgeous vintage Moroccan wedding blanket!

Here is what you need to do to enter the contest:

1. Follow this blog.

2. Like us on Facebook here

3. Visit www.beyondmarrakech.com and choose an item that you would love to have in your home. Then come back here and leave a comment mentioning your favorite piece. You can also pin your favourite item on one of your pinboards and leave a comment here with the URL.

For additional comments, tweet, pin, blog or share the giveaway on Facebook and leave a comment here with the URL.

This giveaway is open to readers worldwide.

The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Friday, November 23.

Good luck!

Moroccan Carpets; Colourful Indulgement

2012-09-26T13:53:00.000+01:00

Psst... I've added color to my carpet collection! Lots of striking, bold, stunning and crazy colors!

Vintage Talsint carpet

Vintage Boujad carpet

Vintage Azilal carpet

Vintage Boucherouite carpet (rag rug)

Vintage Rehamna carpet

Vintage Azilal carpet

Vintage Boujad carpet

Unique wine red colored Beni Ouarain carpet!

And there is more to come! Many more startling, happy, marvellous and eclectic colored

Moroccan carpets will be posted soon!

South Where The Heart Is; The Desert

2012-09-14T21:25:00.000+01:00

Another season is slowly ending. It has been a long and wonderful summer, very hot too! A summer with time to reflect about the present and to evaluate our plans for the future. More than that there was time to connect with the past, to embrace old friends and take long walks down memory lane. Time to spend with the people that have known me for many years and with whom I share memories that reunite me with my younger self.

A summer with time to travel to one of my favourite places in Morocco, the desert. A place far beyond Marrakech and across the High Atlas Mountains. A journey on the road along the many lush palm groves of the Draa Valley and stunning old Berber villages. A place where it all started, where I fell incurably in love with Morocco and where my life slowly began to change.

This summer I seized the opportunity to travel to this special place with Zohra. To share with her the magnificent sand dunes, to ride a camel into the desert and listen to the silence. To sleep in a Kasbah and to experience the heartfelt hospitality of the beautiful South.

Objects Of Desire, A Vintage Berber Kilim Cushion

2012-07-16T02:29:00.000+01:00

A second life for the beautiful and bold coloured vintage Berber kilim carpets

from the High Atlas Mountains.

Limited one of a kind pieces available in the Handira Boutique.

A Lazy Lunch In Le Jardin

2012-06-26T20:53:00.000+01:00

Not so easy to find but definitely worth the dwelling through the small alleys of the Marrakech medina, is Restaurant Le Jardin.

A traditional riad decorated in many shades of green.

Furnished with a mix of retro furniture and African treasures.

Vintage Azilal carpets as modern art wall hangings.

Pretty little windows look into the courtyard.

Stylish table setting in black and green.

And on a hot day in Marrakech there are hand fans for a cool breeze too!

Beni Ouarain Or Beni M’rirt?

2012-06-07T23:39:00.000+01:00

If you are thinking about buying a Beni Ouarain carpet simply google ‘Beni Ourain carpet’ and (almost) everything about these stunning works of art is revealed. Origin, traditions, Berber symbols and where to buy. Unless your eye is caught by a certain rug that truly sings to you, you may very well find yourself unable to choose between all that is available.

Not surprisingly the Beni Ouarain carpets haven’t gone unnoticed by the world of interior design and its popularity is still rising. These magnificent rugs have the fascinating ability to connect the long history of the nomadic tribes and their roots in heathen religions with modern day interiors. These weavings of silent stories told by the hands of Berber women, their beliefs and conceptions translated into abstract images give a soul to any room. The Beni Ouarain carpets have the quality to compliment a space and furniture with an unobtrusiveness that makes them simply adorable!

Beni Ouarain carpets

Lesser known by their true name are the exquisite soft ivory coloured Beni M’rirt carpets which have only recently emerged on the carpet market most probably instigated by the enormous demand for Beni Ouarain carpets. Originally the Beni M’rirt carpets were darker coloured rugs with very primitive tribal symbols but since a decade the rug making of the Beni M’rirt appears to be strongly influenced by the Beni Ouarain patterns which may explain why I am seeing so many of these rugs being sold as Beni Ouarain rugs!

Despite the pattern influence of the Beni Ouarain carpets in the modern day Beni M’rirt weaving, there are a few very distinctive differences between the two Berber carpets. The carpets have a different knot and the thinner wool yarn of the new Beni M’rirt carpets is much more densely woven and always medium pile. The texture and look of the modern Beni M’rirt carpet is very different from the Beni Ouarain carpet and in my opinion these carpets shouldn’t be confused!

Beni M'rirt carpets

Geographically there is a distance of about 200 km between the Beni Ouarain and Beni M'rirt regions, the Beni M'rirt area being more to the west of the Middle Atlas Mountains. The landscape is very different and there for also the elements which were traditionally often projected as symbols in the design of the vintage carpets.

The weaving and wool quality of the modern Beni M’rirt carpets I have seen and bought is excellent. They are still hand woven according to traditional Berber weaving and they are incredibly dense and sumptuous. Where as the vintage Beni Ouarain carpets have size limitations (long and small) the Beni M’rirt rugs can often be found in many different and desirable dimensions to fit small or even huge spaces. And if you have been searching in vain for an ivory coloured carpet with a particular pattern or design and in a particular size, why not have it custom made?

Visit here to see the available Beni Ouarain and Beni M'rirt carpets.

A Sparkling Obsession

2012-05-23T18:28:00.000+01:00

Truthfully, I had decided not to post anything else about Moroccan wedding blankets. Enough said about those amazingly beautiful blankets! But then I recently found a wedding blanket so remarkably well made it just breaths the love for the young Berber bride. It reminded me of the semi nomadic Berber woman I befriended and from whom I bought my very first Handira, fifteen years ago.

She lived with her family in a Berber tent on the high plains between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountains. I think we were about the same age but she already had many children and a very different life. She was beautiful, with incredibly long black hair that dropped and touched the ground whenever she removed her head scarve.

Her home was extremely basic and her family was poor but their hospitality was heart warming and I was always invited to eat whatever they could share with a generosity that is more often found in the heart of a poor man than with those who have everything.

I was fascinated with the woman who introduced me to the art of weaving and the Handira. I was eager to communicate with her but she only spoke the Berber language and our conversations never surpassed the level of basic greetings and gestures. Despite our verbal limitations she seemed to sense my interest about her culture and way of life. She made beautiful things for household use and my great enthusiasm for her craftsmanship often made her burst out in laughter. I bought my first wedding blanket from her, not yet knowing what it was or what it represented. The sparkles had caught my eye and I became irrevocably enchanted with the Handira.

Handira Boutique

The Beauty Of Color And Simplicity

2012-05-01T21:48:00.000+01:00

Inspired by the Berber Boucherouite carpet these baskets are decorated with colourful scraps of rags. Three people are involved in the process of making these baskets. It starts with the weaving of the baskets. The second person decorates the bag with pieces of rag. This kind of work enables many women to earn a living while they work at home. A third person makes the lining and attaches the leather straps.

The Boucherouite baskets are bouquets of color and I adore the simplicity.

Ps: I am really pleased to have contributed to the new virtual magazine A Curated World with my article 'Berber Inspirations'. The website was launched recently by Kay McGowan featuring Marrakech as its first destination. To read the article click here.

Pss: New finds of absolutely gorgeous vintage Beni Ouarain and Mrirt carpets here.

Psss: This week my interview was published on BlogExpat. To read the interview click here.

A Sad Little Tale Of Goodbye

2012-04-19T18:04:00.000Z

Today I feel sad, so sad. I know the value of a cheerful story but sometimes it helps to share a thought or two that weighs heavy on the heart. Today my heart feels sorrowed, perhaps a little lost too. Today as the sun rose in all its magnificent glory I knew it would be another day of saying goodbye, letting go again.

My life is a blessing and I have all my heart could possibly desire. I often feel like a Sunday’s child, born with more than a fair share of fortune and a lion’s heart to combat the difficulties that inevitably make the path of life a bitter sweet experience. I believe that life is a creation and that each and every one of us is the artist. I also believe that I am not solely a defenceless victim of circumstance, my happiness depends on me.

It truly is a wonderful experience to travel and live in

Morocco

. I am grateful for the beauty that surrounds me, the goodwill and trust of kind and complete strangers, the sweet encouragements of dear and distant friends and the challenges that allow me to discover the length of my abilities and limits. But there is a dark side too; an irreconcilable sad side that sometimes casts a shadow over all that joy. Something that always makes me cry however hard I try not to. And it happened again today, the airport, a suitcase, a kiss, a hug, a turn, one more kiss, a wave, goodbye.

Beautiful Stitches, Moroccan Embroidered Cushions

2012-04-13T16:19:00.000Z

Another twirl in the souk of Marrakech and yes, something beautiful always awaits to be found and admired. A colourful pile of gorgeous silk embroidered cushion covers beckoned me to approach for a closer look. And yes, I bought more than I needed, loving them all and unable to choose!

Ps. These gorgeous embroidered pillow cases are available in the Handira Boutique at the bottom of the page. More colors and designs arriving soon.

Springtime And Fresh Camomille In The Souk

2012-03-29T09:56:00.000Z

A Thousand Sparkles

2012-03-07T10:04:00.000Z

This is a tale of patience. A tale of incredible beauty. A story of marriage and the hopes and dreams of a young woman who will forever remain anonymous. It is a story of an old Berber tradition but still very much alive. A tale about being pretty and protected against the evil eye. A story about blessings.

The tale continues in an old truck on the small and very bumpy road between a petite village in the Middle Atlas Mountains to the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. In the story the truck finally arrives at its destination behind the ancient red walls of the city near the souks of the Jemaa El Fna square. There is a cart puller in this story, pulling a cart load full of ivory white blankets, all of them folded and embracing tightly their inner secrets.

The story is missing a few details, but it is unmistakably clear about the moment when a particular blanket caught my blissful eye. A story about searching and gratefully finding. It is a tale of a thousand sparkles, each and every one hand sewn onto the loomed wool. This is a tale about one of the most beautiful Moroccan wedding blankets I have ever seen!

H326 Absolutely stunning Moroccan wedding blanket!

The amount of work, the patience and the beautiful result!

More tales of patience and beauty in the Handira Boutique

Oh, and a new stock of vintage Handira pillow cases have arrived too!

A Moroccan Basket

2012-03-01T14:48:00.000Z

A shopping basket, a beach basket or a picnic basket. It is impossible not to notice these beautiful Moroccan baskets with embroidery in the souk of Marrakech. They will catch your eye one way or the other!

Handcrafted by women in the small Berber villages around the city, they find their way to the small shops in the medina and to the stylish boutiques in the modern quarter Gueliz.

The spectrum of colours and embroidery designs is infinite and I truly, truly love them all!

Handcrafted Moroccan basket with beautiful embroidery. Handles in leather.

Moroccan mini basket, lovely to use for cotton or small pieces of soap in
the bathroom!

Black Veils Of The South

2012-02-21T10:44:00.000Z

Far beyond Marrakech, across the High Atlas Mountains lies the beautiful south. It is where I fell in love with Morocco and it remains by far my favourite part of the country. I didn’t get to live there (yet) for various practical reasons and I don’t visit as much as I would like, but I have lots of pretty little reminders all around the house.

The green-glazed ceramic pottery of Tamegroute in my kitchen and the huge Zagora pots in the garden. And something very, very pretty, something that makes me smile each time I see them. Something I buy every time I travel south. The beautiful black veils of the southern Berber women.

Moroccan Wedding Blankets, New Arrivals

2012-02-03T15:20:00.000Z

So nice to see the new destination of one of my Moroccan wedding blankets!

New Moroccan wedding blankets have arrived in the Handira Boutique. Below a selection, please click here to view details and more stock.

H281 Pieces like this Handira are nowadays hard to find!

H281 Beautiful on the outside with an unexpected surprise at the back!

H283 Great size, will completely cover a King size bed!

H274 Another very lucky find! Gorgeous Handira and wait until you see the backside....

H274 Wow!

H284 Traditional Handira.

H276 A bed of flowers!

H273 Lovely colors!

H285 Great sparkler!

Handira Boutique

Boucherouite, The Rag Rug

2012-02-01T18:55:00.000Z

This is an ode to the exquisite Berber carpets made by women. The carpets I see hung out to dry on the banks of the Ourika River. The rugs that decorate and bring colour to the incredibly modest interiors of the Berber people. A carpet that makes you smile!

Wonderfully extravagant in colour and timeless in design the Boucherouite carpet is exuberate and delightfully irresistible. Scraps of old clothes are given new life as they become part of an infinite fantasy, a rug of rags. But there is nothing shabby about the rag rug, it is a fusion of splendour, happiness and divine creativity.

Please click here for our Boucherouite carpet collection.

Little Treasures Of Morocco

2012-01-17T16:30:00.000Z

So beautiful, these vintage silk Berber belts for women! Generally only the first wives would have keys to storage rooms which were worn attached to these lovely belts.

Diversity Of Morocco

2012-01-06T20:56:00.000Z

Did you know that you can ski in Morocco? It takes about an hour and a half to drive from the heart of Marrakech to the ski resort of Oukaimeden. From Dar Zohra it is just forty minutes but you may want to make a few stops to marvel at the fantastic scenery along the way!

For those not so much into skiing it is still a very worth while day trip to this beautiful winter wonderland. On a clear day the horizons of the High Atlas Mountains are spectacular.

Beautiful scenery on the way up to the peeks of Oukaimeden.

Spectacular views of the High Atlas Mountains.

And for the little ones there is snow sliding!

Our Christmas Tree

2011-12-17T23:05:00.000Z

Underneath a bright sun and surrounded by the snow capped mountains of the High Atlas Mountains, we drew, we cut and we painted our very own Christmas tree.

And we made angels too!