Moroccan Baskets
MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY
Medina combines traditional skills of artisan communities from around the world with contemporary design to present a unique collection of beautiful baskets to the American market.
Our baskets have an impressive historical provenance. From date palm harvesting in North Africa to trade routes of sub- Saharan Africa: from the mountains of southern Mexico to the plains of Bangla Desh we work with small scale producers and co-ops, sustaining ancient crafts and ways of life and producing beautiful baskets for home and personal use.
MOROCCO
We work in three areas of Morocco, each of which produces baskets with a very individual character.
From the area around Fez in the north we get baskets that have been made in the same way for centuries to package and transport dates throughout North Africa. ( HB weave) When the dates were harvested the baskets were made from the discarded leaves of the date palm and used to store and transport the dates.
In this picture by Velazquez painted in 1617 the basket on the wall is the same as our baskets from this region.
The (FW) woven baskets from the coastal region near Essouira are an adaptation of a very old technique for making floor mats for houses and mosques. The looms are on the floor with a warp made from the braided leaves of a bamboo-like plant called Smar and the weft is the strands of the same plant. Smar grows like a weed in the area and is used for dividing fields, so it is a plentiful and renewable material.
The (SB) baskets from the region of Marrakech are made from the leaves of the Washingtonia palm which grows in great profusion in the oases of central Morocco. This is an ancient craft unique to this area, and once again the materials are renewable and sustainable.
