In the alleys and ancient markets of central Marrakech you can see the ancient Moroccan art of wool felting.
This traditional craft, whose roots go back centuries, reflects the ancient cultural heritage of Morocco.
After this, a thick foam is formed – the result of mixing hot water with black soap and treating it with circular movements of plastic fibers.
The foam is then applied to the wool fibres in a specific pattern so that it hardens and becomes felt.
“When we make a prayer rug from wool felt, a mattress or a saddle, it requires a lot of effort from us,” he said.
“It used to be very tedious. We had to regulate the amount of black soap, and the foam had to be thick enough. The process of squeezing the soap was also difficult.”
The resulting felt can be used to make saddles, rugs, hats, traditional shoes, and even dolls and accessories.
Craftsmen carefully and precisely work the felt, using hand tools and sometimes wooden blocks to give it its final shape.
“The demand for saddles has disappeared, so we don’t make them now. For example, I haven’t made a saddle for 10 years,” he said.
It is difficult for young people to master this craft due to the lack of financial reward and the enormous amount of effort required.
“When we went to the market, we found that there was not much wool there. This was because the wool sellers had disappeared due to lack of demand,” Belhaud said.
Despite the difficulties, efforts are being made to preserve the craft of wool felting for future generations.
The Moroccan Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social Solidarity has adopted a training programme for young people to introduce them to handicrafts and teach them the skills needed to master them.
“We also organized training programs based on the new standards. Then we tried to involve various stakeholders from the public and private sectors to develop these crafts and give them new functions,” explained Hisham Berdouzi, regional director of the handicraft industry.
The ministry wants to preserve the felt making craft not only to protect cultural heritage but also to support the local economy.
“This is my first time here and I have never seen handicrafts like this. They make hats, bags and all sorts of things,” said Jane, a British tourist.