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The Depository documents 18 techniques in Morocco; by risk level: 1 critically endangered, 4 endangered, 10 vulnerable, 3 stable. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.
The hand-spinning, natural dyeing, and hand-knotted or flat-woven (hanbel) construction of wool rugs by Amazigh (Berber) women of Morocco's Middle and High Atlas Mountains, using vertical looms and the durable symmetric Ghiordes (Berber)…
The weaving of colorful floor rugs from scraps of worn-out wool, cotton, and synthetic clothing and fabric offcuts, historically produced by Amazigh women in the Atlas Mountains and Middle Atlas region as a resourceful, zero-waste response…
The harvesting and coiled weaving of dried doum palm leaf fiber into baskets, using a distinctive stitched-spiral technique in which the basket takes shape from its center outward, built up in a continuous woven strip mounted in a…
The extraction, spinning, natural dyeing, and hand-weaving of Sabra, a lustrous plant-based fiber drawn from agave (Agave sisalana) leaves, into cushions, throws, rugs, and wall hangings, primarily by Amazigh (Berber) women in the Atlas…
White-clay ceramics painted freehand in cobalt-blue geometric and floral motifs, produced in Fez's Ain Nokbi pottery district for over 600 years.
Polychrome ceramics from Safi, Morocco's largest pottery production center on the Atlantic coast, made from mineral-rich red clay decorated in green, turquoise, black, and ochre.
The hand-engraving of decorative and calligraphic designs onto copper, silver, and gold objects, originating in Fez in the late 12th to early 13th century and later spreading to other Moroccan cities, particularly Marrakesh.
The casting, hammering, chiseling, and filigree engraving of silver jewelry — most iconically the large triangular fibula brooch (tizerzai) used by Amazigh women to fasten garments — centered in Tiznit, Morocco's historic silver capital.
The entirely hand-performed extraction of oil from the fruit of the argan tree (Argania spinosa), an endemic species found only in southwestern Morocco's Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve.
The preparation of fresh sheep or goat hides and construction of accompanying masks worn during Boujloud, an Amazigh masquerade performance held in the days following Eid al-Adha across Souss-Massa, the High and Anti-Atlas, and the Rif…
The turning, carving, and inlay decoration of thuya (Tetraclinis articulata), an endemic Moroccan conifer whose fragrant root burl is prized for its swirling, honey-colored grain, concentrated exclusively in workshops within Essaouira's…
At-Tasfir, the art of Moroccan leather bookbinding, practiced in Fes and combining three distinct component crafts: papermaking, binding the text block, and decorating and covering the finished book with leather.
The conversion of raw animal hides into finished, dyed leather using entirely manual, pre-industrial methods largely unchanged since the tannery's founding in the 11th century.
The multi-stage hand production of glazed terracotta mosaic tilework, originating in 10th-century Fez and considered the defining decorative element of Moroccan royal and religious architecture.
The carving, skin-covering, and stringing of the guembri, a three-stringed bass lute carved from a single log and covered with tanned camel or goat skin, central to Gnawa spiritual and healing music.
The design, cutting, and hand-finishing of the Moroccan caftan, a central-opening, button-fastened garment richly decorated with embroidery, beads, and sequins, produced across distinct regional schools each with their own signature…
The preparation of henna paste from dried, crushed leaves of the Lawsonia inermis shrub and its freehand application in intricate geometric and floral designs onto the hands and feet, a practice rooted in Amazigh culture that accompanies…
The construction of fortified earthen kasbahs and ksour (walled villages) using pisé — a compacted mixture of local earth, clay, straw, and water, packed layer by layer into wooden formwork and pounded until it hardens like soft stone.