moroccan berber high atlas tent bag. Known as "aalau" which is a squarish, partly piled bag usually woven by Berber women of the Ait Bou Ichaouen in the eastern High Atlas. The bag is given to a daughter prior to marriage and is subsequently used to contain either jewellery or clothing or sometimes ready-spun wool. It is fastened at the top by hand plaited rope which passes through a line of slits. This piece has been opened out and when in use would be folded in half and both sides joined together. The tassels at the midway stage would then hang down. The top row consists of an interesting design of 5 Berber tents. Weaving of this type is well described in "Ait Bou Ichaouen-Weaving of a Nomadic Berber Tribe" by Alfred and Suzanne Saulniers. It is a fascinating and collectable piece. Reference 2620. Size opened out 84 x 56cms. 2ft.9in. x 1ft.10in. Euros 170. sold thankyou