Originally Moroccan tents were used only by Berber shepherds who lived in Atlas Mountains or in areas on the Atlantic or Mediterranean coastlines. Upon the arrival to the campsite men drive the first peg into the ground. Then women take over and set up the tent. Traditional Berber tent is divided into women’s side and men’s side. This would allow women greater privacy and comfort. Some Berbers who are still deep into ancient signs and symbols may even scatter some herbs on the ground of the tent, which they believe would provide protection and prosperity.
Traditional Moroccan tent is made of long strips of tent material that are about 23-24 in wide. These strips are called flij. Flij are clamped or sewn together. Nowadays tents are not an exclusive privilege of Bedouins anymore. They are often used by wealthy Moroccans for entertaining guests, events, such as weddings, and exterior decoration. This type of “fun” tents may have flij of different colors beautifully coming together in one point in the roof, such as an example below:
But real no-kidding Berber tents that are life necessity are not as fancy. These are usually handwoven from sheep wool and goat hair and are usually black or brown with some shades of beige and off-white. If you look at them from a distance, you will find that they totally blend with landscape. Here is how real Berber tents look like:
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The inhabitants of this tent are likely to have issues with sand getting into everything in their home
Here are some examples of lavish party tents’ interior that can compete in luxury with some of the best hotels:
The larger version of Moroccan tents is called makhzen. These are usually used for events and important tribal gatherings. Traditionallymakhzen tents are white with dark leather decorations on the outside. These decorations depict oil lamps. You can see an example below:
Image credits: Flickr.com