The last place before the desert - Tamegroute
We’re passionate about the original crafts our home country of Morocco has to offer and one of our favourites has to be Tamagroute pottery. The rich green pottery produced from the small village of Tamegroute is truly unique and cannot be rivalled anywhere in the world.
Within the Draa valley in southern Morocco lies the village of Tamegroute from which this distinctive pottery takes its name. In Amazigh (the language of the indigenous Berbers) Tamegroute means ‘last place before the desert’ and was the last stop for the caravans who travelled across the desert on camels.
The founders wanted to raise the status of the village into that of a city so assembled craftsman who specialised in pottery to rival the imperial city of Fes considered the pottery capital of morocco (alongside Safi). Still a village today, Tamegroute is the home to seven Atelier families who each own one oven and their own atelier. Creating pottery in a signature green shade the craftsmanship and skill is beautifully authentic to the region.
Local and sustainable materials
The unique crafting process has been passed down from generation to generation and the same tools and techniques are still used today as they had been in the 11th century. It starts with the collection of the clay which is dug from the riverbed of the Draa valley. Once transported back to the village the clay is moulded and shaped into its final form. The pottery is left out to dry in the Moroccan sun before being glazed with manganese, silicon and copper that creates the superb green glaze for which Tamegroute is renowned.
The pottery is then baked in one of the 7 stoves in the village with Palm tree branches and sometimes left-over eucalyptus and tamarisk chips from local carpenters used as fuel.
Perfectly imperfect
Every single piece is crafted by hand from natural materials unique to the region and bares the hallmarks of its maker. The variation of colour, shape and size make every piece truly unique embracing the perfectly created imperfections that make the pottery so beautiful.
We’re excited to share our collection of magnificent green pottery we love so much, sourced from this small corner of Morocco. Explore our collection of truly original and unique Tamegroute pottery.