Wood Carving in Morocco

Wood carving is perhaps one of the oldest types of handicrafts.  Everywhere in the world we can see beautiful pieces of carving. On my travels in the Near East and Middle Asian countries I have often seen master pieces that have been created with only one knife, or not more than 1-3 knives.  The workshops are often small or the carvers just sit on a stool in front of a small shop.  Sometimes they do not even have a table.

The Arabs love colours and many times the carvings are beautifully painted with natural colours, especially if they are used as panels.

Moroccan Arts and Crafts

During the past Easter holidays (March 2016) we travelled around Morocco and got acquainted with Moroccan handicrafts.

The old capital Fez is known for its hand-painted ceramics and the blue (cobalt) colour of it.  The young men - yes, it was without exception males - sat in the very rudimental workshops, some forming discs and vases, others painting them with natural colours. Our guide put an extra emphasis on the fact that hand-made is always more valuable than a factory-made product. We were told that the full-scale study in ceramics takes ten years.