Amezrou Silversmiths

Amezrou is a ksar in the palm groves just south of Zagora with a mellah - a Jewish quarter - that was inhabited into the 1960s, and the community's trade was silver: the heavy Saharan and Draa jewellery of this region, fibulae, bracelets, necklaces with amber and coral, khamsa hands, and the fittings for daggers and horse gear. When the families emigrated the craft did not stop, because Muslim apprentices had learned it, and it is still worked in Amezrou by families who trace their training back through that line. Workshops in the village show the process - melting, drawing, chasing, filigree, and the enamel work used on some pieces - and sell directly. Buying takes some judgement, since old pieces are scarce and much of what is offered as antique is recent or is nickel alloy rather than silver; the workshops themselves are the honest end of the trade.

What you actually see

• A trade handed on - Jewish silversmithing continued by the apprentices who learned it.
• Draa and Saharan forms - fibulae, khamsa hands and amber-and-coral necklaces.
• Working ateliers - melting, drawing, chasing and filigree shown in the village.
• The old mellah - the quarter the trade came from, empty since the 1960s.

When to go

October to April. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Much of what is sold as antique Berber silver anywhere in Morocco is recent or alloy - the workshops are more honest than the shops. Prices are by weight plus work and bargaining is expected. Summer heat in the Draa is extreme. There is no interpretation of the mellah.

Nearby

Zagora and Jebel Zagora are north; Tamegroute is south.