Tazenakht Carpet Weaving

Tazenakht is a small town on the road between Ouarzazate and Taliouine and it is the centre of Ouzguita weaving - carpets in dense wool from the local flocks, traditionally in strong red and orange grounds with black and white geometric bands, tighter and heavier than the Middle Atlas Beni Ourain and quite different in intent. Weaving here is women's work done at home and through cooperatives, of which the town has a number, and buying from a cooperative means the money goes to the weavers rather than to a chain of dealers - which is the practical reason to come here rather than to buy the same carpets marked up several times over in Marrakech. The town also sits in saffron country, with Taliouine an hour east, and holds a carpet festival. Look at the back of a carpet before buying: hand knots are irregular, and the density and the wool tell you most of what you need.

What you actually see

• Ouzguita carpets - dense wool in red and orange grounds with geometric banding.
• Cooperatives - selling directly for the weavers rather than through dealers.
• A weaving town - the work done at home and through associations by women.
• Saffron country nearby - Taliouine and the Siroua slopes an hour east.

When to go

October to April; the carpet festival dates vary. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Quality varies widely - check the back for knot regularity and the wool by hand. Some shops resell factory work as cooperative pieces. The town is plain and has little else. Transport home for a large carpet needs thinking about.

Nearby

Taliouine and the saffron villages are east; Ouarzazate is north-east.