Colours and Patterns in Berber Culture
In Berber culture the different patterns and colours tend to convey a particular meaning.
White colour as a symbol of purity, red is to protect and add strength, green symbolizes fertility, prosperity and happiness, blue represents peace and wisdom, and yellow is the colour of light, sun and infinity
The patterns adorning Berber carpets and textiles are of rich significance and, in general, are intended to ensure family happiness and household protection.
Inside the decorative pattern one can usually find X-shaped or diamond-shaped motifs that symbolize the feminine element, fertility, happiness. The long narrow patterns along the edges represent the masculine, protective element.
Often the combination of feminine and masculine elements is seen, as a primordial symbol of their connection and continuity of the human race.
The patterns in Berber culture are numerous and with the progress of modern day their exact meaning is slowly being obscured, making it sometimes difficult to determine it with certainty.
Nevertheless, each carpet, every piece of work coming from the hands of Berber women is a personal statement of its creator, a story of the woman who weaves it. In each one of them hides a small piece of a thousand-year-old secret of the female soul.
You can find different Berber patterns listed in the table accompanying this article. Please note that the name of the pattern often does not match with what the pattern in itself symbolizes.
