The Moulouya valley has it‘s source in the very center of the High Atlas west of the Jebel Ayache, takes it‘s way along the eastern side of the Middle Atlas and flows into the Mediterranean Sea east of Nador / Melilla . The valley and the nearby regions, namely the eastern slopes of the Middle Atlas, the western part of the Plateau du Rekkam, the Jerada mountains, the Beni Snassen mountains and the plains and hillscapes towards the Mediterranean Sea are home to Arabic as well as Berber tribes, the Jewish population that had it‘s center in Debdou mostly migrated to Israel after in the 1950s.
Such small white ground rugs have been found in several places along the valley and it‘s surroundings, namely in the uppermost part of the valley west of Midelt, along the mid part of the valley on the eastern slopes of the Middle Atlas, directly in the valley between Outat el Hadj and Guercif as well as in the lower territories in the north-east around Berkane.
The designs are clearly influenced by the traditions of the nearby Berber groups of the Middle Atlas and the plains towards the Mediterranean basin. In older examples the wool is most often more glossy than the one of the examples from the eastern High Atlas. Typically the warp material is a mix of wool and goat hair and the designs most often include a variety of shades of brown, warm beige and sandy tones. Designs tend to be a bit more geometric and formal than in the eastern High Atlas + also the use of Berber knots is limited to the territories of the Middle Atlas and the Moulouya valley.
