Arts and Crafts of Morocco

Its unique geographical location established Morocco as a center of cultural exchange, and its remarkable arts and crafts are the product of a centuries-long intermingling of influences from other parts of Africa and the traditions of Islam and from the singular cultural alliance of the Moors and the Spaniards. Superbly illustrated with more than 150 specially commissioned color photographs, Arts and Crafts of Morocco illuminates the wonders of this thriving tradition. Dr. James F. Jereb’s pioneering account, based on his own first hand research, examines an extensive range of media: vibrantly colored textiles; jewelry in a range of exquisite configurations; original leather, wood, and metalwork; and an enormous variety of pottery and ceramics. These marvelous objects derive either from a rural lifestyle, with symbols and patterns that reflect the powerful animistic beliefs of the Berber country artisans, or from the cities, where Islamic tenets compose the cultural foundation. All of these works are thus endowed with a spiritually charged significance that determines their functions and ensures their remarkable beauty.