HOT ! (Sofia Badaoui) \"Eat, Drink and be Merry\"

80 x 41 inchesSiroua wool and natural dyes sourced in the region of Taznakht, Morocco 

I grew up with one foot in France and the other in Morocco. Badaoui, my last name, means “desert dweller” in Arabic.

WHERE DO THE RUGS COME FROM?The Aït Ouaouzguite style of rug is the torch of the art of the women of Siroua.Adrar n’Siroua is a vast mountain range southwest of Ouarzazate. This range culminates in the ancient volcano Siroua at an altitude of 3,304 meters.Since ancient times, this region has been a transhumance territory inhabited by Amazigh tribes whose economy is based on pastoral activity. These Amazigh became known for the specificity of their sheep commonly called the Siroua sheep.This is a breed of sheep renowned for the quality of its uniform white or black wool with a fleece of long hair, smooth to the touch, clean and homogeneous.The quality of Siroua wool has made the carpets produced by the Amazigh women of the region famous. The rugs transmit the history of the region of Ouarzazate, Tamassine, Tidili, Aït Semgfane, Tazenakht, Aït Waya, Aït Douchen, Aït Ouagharda, Aït Ameur, Aït Zineb, Aït Makhlif. All the dyes used on our rugs are from the land surrounding the ancient volcano Siroua. Our weavers go early in the morning to pick flowers. The color orange is from the precious Safran, which grows in the volcanic soil of the region.