Kantara: Moroccan Rugs

It’s raffle time and we’re offering up this vintage Moroccan blanket that can be used as a tablecloth, bedspread, beach blanket, and more! We’re joining — a group of 85+ small business owners who are uniting in global solidarity — to raise funds throughout the month of July, with all proceeds supporting Palestinians in Gaza.

For our raffle, 100% of funds will be sent to which has been tirelessly providing diapers, baby formula, and food to displaced Palestinians for the last 8 months.

Each entry is $20 (you can choose any amount) and can be submitted on Venmo to (👉🏽 for QR code). You can enter as many times as you like in multiples of $20 (i.e: $60 = 3 entries). Please include your email address and the word RAFFLE in your memo on Venmo. Our Venmo account is private so all contributions and email addresses are protected.

❗️All entries must be submitted by 5pm PST on Monday July 15th❗️

The winner will be chosen on the following day. Local pickup is available in Los Angeles at our Eagle Rock showroom or free domestic shipping is also available.

Check out all the raffle and auction items from artists and sellers around the country by following . If you’d like to help folks in Gaza and aren’t in a position to donate, you can call your reps and ask them to back an immediate ceasefire, oppose additional arms shipments to Israel, and/or share this post and help spread the word. Thanks for joining along!

caught in contemplation in the dyer’s souk on our recent tour

so many new runners just dropped and we’re not mad about the zig zags 🌀⚡️

Happy LA design weekend! We'll be open this weekend, 1-5pm both days, for the festivities. Stop by and dig through our latest haul of Moroccan rugs. We just got a shipment of 40 new rugs and they’re something else! (➡️ for a sneak peek)⁠
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For our friends outside of LA, most of the new rugs are already on the website. Check out this link for more info: https://kantararugs.com/collections/new-moroccan-rugs

Morning affirmations from Morocco: Falasteen Hurra 🍉🍉🍉

And yet here we are — 7 months of nonstop slaughter and now they’re carpet bombing Rafah? All this after Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal and a return of all the hostages? And this was supposedly a red line for Biden? Where are the 1.5 million people and 600k children supposed to go?

End the occupation. Stop this madness.

opening salvo: rugs & restaurants

Ceasefire is the bare minimum. The last 209 days have demonstrated how far our elite institutions, media, and politicians will go to protect a foreign country’s genocidal campaign and their own corporate interests. Time and again our ‘leaders’ have embraced violence, militarism, censorship, and harmful anti-Palestinian and Islamaphobic rhetoric. It’s shameful and it’s criminal.

The students are showing us that we can co-exist in a multi-faith, egalitarian, ethnically diverse society where we center compassion and mutual aid. Where we don’t look away from the situations that make us uncomfortable with a milquetoast dismissal that “it’s complicated.” Where we roll up our sleeves and do our best to achieve the world we want to live in.

As Arundhati Roy says, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” Can we take a beat to listen for it? And then we fight like hell because ceasefire is the bare minimum and Palestine will be free.

- slide 1: and encampment before the police rioted 4/30/24
- slide 2: in response to tone-deaf remarks today, excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail
- slide 3: on what does/doesn’t constitute violent protest
- slide 4: the aftermath of the police riot at UCLA on 5/2/24 and calling in
- slide 5: on laying siege to empire
- slide 6: on why we protest
- slide 7: putting admin on notice and keeping focus on Palestine

Shop is open today 1-6pm, swing by to peep the Moroccan rugs that just arrived, and shop our last day of the spring sale 🌱

Friends! We're hosting another Climate Café LA on Sunday March 24th from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Rug Shop. Join us for a lightly facilitated gathering where folks can share their feelings around climate change and connected social issues. The event is free but we ask you to RSVP as space is limited (see link in bio).

Climate Cafés exist worldwide so that people can process their emotions in community, rather than in isolation. This Climate Café will take place at Kantara: Moroccan Rug's showroom in Eagle Rock and is hosted by Maksim Batuyev founder of Climate Cafe LA.

Ramadan Kareem! I have so many heartwarming stories of the kindness and generosity of strangers during Ramadan. Of being welcomed in by friends to their Eid celebrations. Of having strangers share their iftars with me when they saw that I was traveling solo. There’s so much food, joy, and camaraderie to go around this time of year, and I’m here for it 🤗

It’s meant to be a joyous time, but this year is tinged with sorrow, thinking about families in Gaza. How do you fast when you’re dying from starvation, under constant bombardment from Israeli troops, and sent meager scraps of expired MREs from our benevolent government?

I don’t have answers, just a hope for liberation, a reprieve from the constant attacks and illegal occupation, and a chance for families to be reunited once more.

Photos are my own from last Ramadan in Morocco. Second photo gets at the heart of what Ramadan represents and credit goes to Mariem Masmoudi in Traversing Tradition.

We're excited to announce the first of two Climate Cafés that we're co-hosting in our Rug Room in Eagle Rock, in conjunction with .⁠
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The first event is this coming Sunday, February 11. The second one is March 24th. Both are from 10am to noon and are free and open to the public with RSVP (see link in bio).⁠
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These cafes are facilitated by Maksim Batuyev, an artist and organizer in LA. Maksim works on a wide range of climate projects and is the founder of Climate Cafe LA.⁠
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Climate Cafes exist worldwide; they grew out of a need to create meaningful connections in the face of the unfolding environmental crises.⁠
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Often our spaces for activism, advocacy, and protest are focused on asking, "what are you doing?", and they forget to ask, "how are you doing?". Climate Cafes get to the heart of the second question.⁠
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Come get cozy with us this Sunday surrounded by all the Moroccan rugs and in the meantime, reach out if you have any questions!⁠
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This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for those that are speaking truth to power and putting their own reputations and jobs on the line in their struggle against injustice. I’m grateful for those that remind us of our shared humanity and that our liberation is tied up in our own interdependence.

In support of ’s Shut it Down for Palestine mobilization tomorrow, Friday, we will be closed. We encourage you to find your own way to join in — boycott Black Friday, attend a protest, call your representatives, etc. There can be no business as usual until there is a permanent ceasefire and all the hostages are returned. This includes both the 240 Israeli hostages and the thousands of Palestinians held pre-trial in “administrative detention.” A 4-day truce is not a ceasefire. And a ceasefire is the bare minimum.

For our local community, we will be open on Saturday from 11am to 6pm and taking part in the annual Shop Small event. We’ll have a Cash is King sale and we’ll be offering 15% off all rugs using the discount code 4UMMAH through the end of November.

Credit for the slides goes to:
1. Shut it Down for Palestine brought to you by
2. ’s Transformative Justice Calendar, conceived by Mariame Kaba, art by (pre-order by November 24th)
3. We Are Still Here art by
4. Eagle Rock Shop Small brought to you by
5. Quote by Toni Morrison brought to you by the

How did we get to this point in history where we’re debating the merits of a nuclear superpower massacring thousands of humans?

Israel is on day 17 of carpet bombing a territory that they have illegally occupied for decades. Israel is committing genocide against the people of Palestine. In real time. While we watch.

Meanwhile, POTUS and Western government officials prop up this apartheid state, vowing to send more money, more missiles, more troops. This is an ethnic cleansing that is sanctioned and paid for by our US tax dollars. As we speak, there are 12k US troops on 10 warships that are heading to the region. To what end??

While our politicians beat the drums of war, it’s a different story on the ground. The movement calling for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation is diverse, multi-faith, international, and growing by the moment. This movement dreams of another world where liberation is possible. We have to believe that the tides are turning. Keep fighting. Keep speaking up. Keeping calling your reps. Palestine will be free 🇵🇸

For those asking how they may help with Earthquake relief, this fundraiser is organized by a small group of Moroccan Amazigh academics who teach at universities in the US and have remained connected to various nonprofits and community leaders throughout the Atlas mountains.

They have a good sense of what the community needs are. This is especially important as the first rains have started to fall and winter is around the corner. We just heard that there are 50,000 homes that need to be rebuilt. Many of these villages are in hard to access, mountainous territories that receive a significant amount of snowfall in winter. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. They're only $4,000 away from completing their goal!

For more updates from the organizer of this fundraiser, Brahim el Guabli, check out his twitter profile: https://x.com/SahraOuld?s=20

Morocco Earthquake Relief, organized by Brahim El Guabli A devastating earthquake hit Morocco yesterday, leaving thousands of people dead, injured … Brahim El Guabli needs your support for Morocco Earthquake Relief

Words cannot even begin to express the duality of emotions right now. On the one hand there’s extreme grief and sorrow at the loss of life. And disbelief and sadness for the utter destruction that is evident all around - whole villages flattened to the ground. In a heartbeat. It doesn’t help that the hardest hit areas are the ones that were already remote, agrarian Amazigh communities, without a lot of infrastructure to begin with.

On the other hand, there’s such an immense feeling of solidarity as the whole country rallies to help. There’s always been a fierce culture of mutual aid in Morocco. And you see it now, more than ever before. Everyone is doing what they can. Today at a gas station, a mother in the next car over saw our car filled with supplies and asked if we were going into the mountains. She asked if she could give us something to take and proceeded to give us her baby’s blanket, out from under him. She didn’t have a lot to give, but she wanted to do her part in the way that she could. Everyone feels the impact of this earthquake and everyone is showing up 🙌🏽

In the villages, in spite of the devastation, there’s so much resilience. Yesterday, we brought a lot of food to this one village only to find groves of apple, fig, and walnut trees. Before we knew it, our pockets were full of fruit to take home. And, of course, as we did the medical rounds, we were offered mint tea at every stop. In spite of everything the Moroccan spirit of hospitality lives on, stronger than ever.

And it’s not just Moroccans rallying to help. I have so much sincere gratitude to friends, family, and strangers from around the world who have reached out to share their love and concern and to send money for supplies. It takes a village, and this one is truly a global village.
� said it best when she announced the launch of the series today — “the whole world loves Morocco, now Morocco needs the world.” 🇲🇦🫶🏽

Thanks to everyone who reached out. It means a lot. It’s clear that Morocco lives strong in the hearts and minds of folks all over the world. Let’s hold on to that feeling of connection and community that knows no boundaries.

For those of you asking how you might help, thank you! 🙏🏼— we put this list together of trusted nonprofits to donate to.

bit.ly/morocco-earthquake-relief

big boy in the house! 🎉 she’s 9’ 9” x 12’ 6” and just touched down

just some classy Marrakech inspo from our travels last month 😎

This one is looking extra fine… 😵‍💫

Eid Mubarak Said! It’s been such a treat being in Morocco this last week for Ramadan. There have been so many good iftours, so many old friends and many new friends made along the way.

The daily sunset and call to prayer brings with it the obligatory harira soup, shebekkia, and dates, but it also brings us closer to the people around us. I’m very grateful for the people who made sure we were properly fed over the last week and took care of us.

The feeling of love, attention, and care is palpable, and it’s only accentuated that much more during Ramadan.

It’s been 18 years since I first arrived in Morocco by sea, on a ferry from Spain. That ferry ride was a relatively short one. It culminated with a whirlwind tour of Morocco that highlighted how poorly prepared I was and how little I knew about the country and its people.

Yesterday, after 50 hours of travel, stunningly beautiful skies, and mostly calm seas, we pulled into the newly built Terminal 1 of the Tanger Med port, the largest port in Africa. And it felt like coming home. Here are some snapshots of life between the sky and sea…

Heading back to Morocco next week, so squeezing in some last minute appointments at the Shop this weekend. Love any excuse to pull out these big guys…!

Thanks to everyone who came out for our Open House this weekend! It was packed all day except for this one rare moment of rest amidst the rug slinging that captured.

The Cash is King sale might be over, but you can still get 15% off all rugs on the site through this Saturday, March 25th with the SPRINGRUG code. As always, there’s free shipping anywhere in the US 😘

everything about this vintage rug is 🔥🔥🔥

Get ready! We’re hosting another Cash is King sale this Saturday, March 14th at The Rug Shop from noon til 5pm.

We’re teaming up with and together we’ll have dozens of select rugs that are up to 50% off retail. Swipe through to see some of the sale rugs 👉🏽

For our friends who are not so close to Los Angeles, we’re offering a 15% discount code on all eligible rugs for one week. Use the code SPRINGRUG starting this Saturday until March 25th to take advantage! In the meantime, DM if you have any questions

There are three vintage pieces that I just can’t get enough of.

Two of them are lightweight— they feel almost like flatweave rugs, the pile has worn down so much. They’re organic, abstract, and have such interesting palettes and compositions.

The vibrant purple one is a thicker, a double sided piece that gives you a darker, crisper Summer side, and an airier, cozy Winter side.

Ksars were ancient walled village communities, situated along the caravan routes. Sometimes mistaken for Kasbahs, these structures from the south of Morocco were made using mud brick pisé techniques.

The ones that have been abandoned and forgotten have succumbed to the elements, as they’re especially vulnerable to rain and flooding. But there are still some Ksars that continue to be inhabited, and tended to, and are still standing, 500+ years later.

All these rugs are from the same region as the Ksars, along the route of 1000 Kasbahs, and often draw inspiration from the construction, the climate, geology, and the local flora and fauna.

We picked up so many one-of-a-kind rugs last month in Morocco and started custom orders on many more rugs.

Here’s a small sneak peek of some of the pieces that are coming this way…

Stay tuned — this Spring collection is about to 🚀🚀

how do you encapsulate five weeks on the road in Morocco? With a country as rich in culture, diversity, art, and tradition, these photos provide only the smallest snapshot of Morocco — a country with incredible ecological diversity mixed with a wealth of warmth, generosity, and hospitality.

After five weeks and 2500 miles, I also experienced Morocco’s changing seasons, as the first snows came and blanketed the High Atlas mountains. Morocco has been struggling from a multi-year drought and these rains and snows are desperately needed.

It was an honor to be back in Morocco and spend time revisiting old friends, artisan partners, and new associates ♥️🇲🇦💚

Forever obsessed with these boucherouite rugs which represent a mix of artistic genius and practical upcycling of various clothing, fibers, and other materials.

These rugs are in our collection and are available online. In the meantime we’re over here in Morocco, bulking up with even more unique finds…