Moroccan Rug Styles: Beni Ourain vs Azilal vs Boucherouite

Not all Moroccan rugs are the same. The name refers to a country, not a single style — and the differences between a Beni Ourain, an Azilal, a Boucherouite and a Boujaad are significant enough to change how a rug looks, feels underfoot, and works in your room.

This guide explains each of the main styles, where they come from, and which one is likely right for your space. Every rug we sell is handwoven in Morocco by Berber artisans, so these distinctions are the same ones our weavers use.

The four main Moroccan rug styles at a glance

Style Region Colours Pile Best for
Beni Ourain Middle Atlas Mountains Cream / ivory with black or brown Thick, plush Minimal, modern and Scandinavian rooms
Azilal Azilal province, High Atlas Natural base with bright accents Medium, lighter than Beni Ourain Adding colour and personality without overwhelming
Boucherouite Across rural Morocco Highly colourful, unpredictable Varies, often shaggy Bold, eclectic and maximalist interiors
Boujaad Boujad region, Haouz plains Pinks, reds, oranges, purples Medium to high Warm, layered rooms that need a focal point

Beni Ourain

Beni Ourain rugs come from a confederation of Berber tribes in Morocco's Middle Atlas Mountains. They are the most recognisable Moroccan rug in Western interiors — the cream rug with a simple black diamond lattice.

The wool is left undyed, which is why the background reads as ivory, oatmeal or soft grey rather than bright white. The pattern is typically a lozenge or diamond grid, drawn freehand, so lines wander slightly and diamonds are rarely identical. The pile is thick and dense; these were originally made as sleeping blankets for cold mountain winters, not as floor coverings.

Choose a Beni Ourain if you want a rug that quiets a room rather than commands it, or if your palette is already neutral and you want texture instead of colour.

Azilal

Azilal rugs come from the Azilal province in the High Atlas. They share the natural wool base of a Beni Ourain but abandon the orderly diamond grid in favour of something far more personal.

An Azilal is usually single-knotted, so the pile sits lower and the rug is lighter and more flexible. Patterns are abstract and irregular — stripes that stop mid-way, isolated symbols, blocks of colour that appear once and never repeat. Traditionally these were woven by a single woman over months, and the design was improvised as she worked, which is why Azilal rugs are often described as narrative pieces.

Choose an Azilal if you want colour and character but still want the rug to feel light and modern rather than heavy.

Boucherouite

Boucherouite rugs (sometimes spelled Boucharouette, and often searched as "bouchera") take their name from a Moroccan Arabic phrase meaning a scrap torn from used clothing. They are rag rugs, woven from recycled textiles — cotton, wool, nylon, even lurex — rather than from new sheep's wool.

They were born out of practicality. When wool was scarce or expensive, weavers used what they had. The result is a rug with no fixed palette and no repeating pattern: dense, riotous colour, sometimes with sections of completely different texture. Because the materials vary, no two Boucherouite rugs are remotely alike, and they are now collected as folk art as much as floor covering.

Choose a Boucherouite if you want a genuine one-off statement piece and you are not afraid of colour.

Boujaad

Boujaad rugs come from the Boujad region on the Haouz plains. They are the warmest of the Moroccan styles — pinks, madder reds, oranges, soft purples — often layered over one another in loose geometric fields.

Compared to the strict symmetry of a Beni Ourain, a Boujaad feels fluid. Shapes overlap, borders are broken, and colour shifts across the rug as the dye lots change. The pile is generally medium to high, giving it a soft, welcoming feel underfoot.

Choose a Boujaad if your room needs warmth, or if you want a pink or terracotta rug that still reads as authentic and handmade rather than trend-driven.

Which Moroccan rug style is right for you?

  • My room is neutral and I want texture, not colour. Beni Ourain.
  • I want some colour, but the room should still feel calm. Azilal.
  • I want the rug to be the most interesting thing in the room. Boucherouite.
  • My room feels cold and needs warming up. Boujaad.
  • I have a specific size or colour in mind and nothing quite fits. A custom Moroccan rug made to your measurements.

Vintage or new?

Style and age are two separate decisions.

A vintage Moroccan rug was woven decades ago and has already lived a life. The wool has softened, colours have mellowed, and there may be small repairs or areas of wear — most buyers consider these part of the appeal. Because each vintage rug is a single surviving piece, sizes are whatever they happen to be, and once one sells it is gone.

A new handmade rug is woven by the same artisans using the same techniques, but recently. Colours are cleaner, pile is fuller, and you have a better chance of finding a standard size. It will soften with use in the same way a vintage rug did.

Neither is more authentic than the other. Both are hand-knotted in Morocco on traditional looms.

How to tell a genuine handmade Moroccan rug

A few checks that work regardless of style:

  • Turn it over. On a hand-knotted rug the pattern is visible on the back, and the knots are slightly irregular. A machine-made rug has a uniform grid and often a glued backing.
  • Look for asymmetry. Handwoven patterns drift. Perfectly straight lines and identical repeats usually mean a machine.
  • Check the fringe. On a genuine piece the fringe is an extension of the warp threads, not a strip sewn on afterwards.
  • Feel the wool. Real sheep's wool retains some lanolin and feels slightly waxy rather than squeaky or plasticky.
  • Expect colour variation. Small horizontal bands where the dye lot changed (abrash) are a sign of hand-dyed wool, not a defect.

Sizing and placement

Moroccan rugs were originally woven for tents and mountain homes, so traditional sizes rarely match modern furniture layouts. A few working rules:

  • Living room: aim for the front legs of your sofa and chairs to sit on the rug. In most rooms that means 8'x10' or larger.
  • Bedroom: either a large rug extending 2–3 feet past the sides of the bed, or a pair of runners on each side.
  • Hallways: a runner should leave roughly 4–6 inches of floor visible on each side.
  • Under a dining table: add at least 24 inches beyond the table edge so chairs stay on the rug when pulled out.

If nothing in stock fits your room, we can weave a rug to your exact dimensions — see custom rugs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Beni Ourain and an Azilal rug?

A Beni Ourain uses undyed cream wool with a regular black or brown diamond pattern and has a thick, plush pile. An Azilal keeps the natural wool base but adds bright, irregular colour and abstract shapes, with a lighter, lower pile. Beni Ourain suits minimal rooms; Azilal suits rooms that need personality.

Are Boucherouite rugs made of wool?

Usually not. Boucherouite rugs are woven from recycled textile scraps — cotton, nylon, wool blends and synthetic fabrics — which is why their colours are so varied. They were originally made when new wool was too scarce or expensive to use.

Why are handmade Moroccan rugs not perfectly symmetrical?

Because they are woven freehand on a traditional loom without a printed pattern to follow. Lines drift, diamonds vary in size, and dye lots shift across the rug. These irregularities are how you identify a genuine handwoven piece.

Are vintage Moroccan rugs cleaned before shipping?

Yes. Every rug is professionally washed before it is shipped to you.

Can I order a Moroccan rug in a specific size?

Yes. Custom rugs are woven to your exact dimensions, colours and pattern, and are typically delivered in 5–6 weeks. You can start a custom rug with any design as a reference.

Do Moroccan wool rugs shed?

New wool rugs shed lightly for the first few weeks as loose fibres work their way out. This settles on its own. Vintage rugs have usually finished shedding decades ago.

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Every rug is handwoven in Morocco by artisans we work with directly, washed before dispatch, and shipped worldwide at no cost.