Meet the Marrakech Rug Dealer Who Sees Every Carpet as a Work of Art

Few things sum up a trip to Marrakech quite like a Moroccan rug. Whether it’s a vibrant vintage Boujad or a geometric Beni Ouarain, Moroccan carpets are not just decorative objects, they are records of a living craft tradition that stretches back centuries. Each one is woven by hand, usually by Berber women in the mountains, and no two are ever identical. Which is precisely why buying one in Marrakech, rather than from a retailer back home, matters.

Marrakech is one of the world’s great marketplaces for textiles, but it can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. Knowing who to trust, someone with deep knowledge of provenance, quality and the stories behind the pieces, makes all the difference between buying something extraordinary and coming home with something you regret.

Ibrahim Noubl of Soufny Art Gallery, just two minutes from El Fenn, is exactly that person. A Marrakchi born and raised in the medina, Ibrahim grew up surrounded by the city’s artisan traditions and has spent his career building one of the most distinctive rug collections in the city, part vintage gallery, part living archive of Moroccan textile history. We sat down with him to talk about the city he loves.

 

Ibrahim Noubl’s Marrakech

Where is home? 

I live with my wife in Assif, which is a neighbourhood about 15 minutes drive from the medina. But the medina also feels like home because I spent a lot of my childhood here at my grandmother’s house and my business Soufny Art Gallery is about five minutes from El Fenn. 

 

What’s your first memory of Marrakech?

My grandmother, who was Berber and barely spoke Arabic, was the sweetest person I ever met. She lived close to El Fenn and told me the story of the neighbourhood when I was very young. In the street where El Fenn now is, relatives from one family once lived in all the houses. She told me that all the doors were left open, children were looked after by everyone, food was shared and people would leave their bread dough on the doorstop so that someone from the family would take it to the local ovens to be baked if they passed by. Apparently, in the early 90s, some foreigners bought a house in the street and even though the people in the street found it strange, they would visit their new neighbours and offer them food. Everything changed for me when I heard those stories because I learned very young that the medina is a place of true community. 

 

The Best of Marrakech

Favourite time of year? 

Ramadan. The air and atmosphere of the city changes and there are food smells coming from every house. It’s a time of happiness and community and, as a Muslim, it has a profound effect on my soul. However tired my mind and body are, Ramadan restores me from the inside. It’s such a powerful expression of community. The days are quieter but the nights are so full of life, movement and trading. It’s like 1001 Nights. 

 

Favourite landmark? 

My father died when I was ten so I have a very precious memory of him taking me on a tour of the historic monuments in the medina. I must have been about five or six and he took me to the Badia Palace, told me about Morocco’s history, the story of the palace and its sad destruction. Marrakech was once the greatest city in all of Morocco but gradually marginalised over the centuries. At the Badia Palace, they had removed a lot of the zellige and gold detailing but the beauty remained. That day I learned that this city is unique. Even if the colour has been drained, it is still standing and proud. It inspires me.

 

 

Where should everyone visit? 

The Saadian Tombs which were created by the dynasty who founded Marrakech. Visiting them, you can see how the city of Marrakech used to be centuries ago. Moroccans respect death. They care for it and expect it because they accept mortality. The Saadian Tombs are more than just a cemetery.  

 

Best time of day? 

I always go to the gym on my Vespa each morning at sunrise because early morning is the best time in the city. It’s quiet and the light is great.

 

What do you buy in the souk? 

I got married a year ago and so my wife and I had to buy everything for our home. To start with, we went looking at the shopping malls but then took her to a friend’s pottery and she found it beautiful. We bought our crockery there and then wood and carpets from the souk. Everything in our home is made by artisans – from lamps to carpets, to the dishes and spoons. I’ve really got the Marrakech shopping addiction. To know that there are human hands and feelings behind things makes them worth more than gold to me.

 

 

Favourite recommendation for your visitors?

It’s always about food. Look for the places crowded with locals and I guarantee you will find the best food. Also, try to discover more of the Moroccan traditions like clothes, family and weddings. Everything has a meaning. When I got married for instance, my wife and I visited my family’s home the next day and grandmother was there. When she saw my wife wearing a traditional kaftan with a belt, she went crazy. ‘You shouldn’t wear a belt,’ she told my wife. ‘A belt is a symbol of working and for seven days after marriage you are the queen, you will do no work and we will take care of you’. These small details are what Moroccan life is really about. The beauty and uniqueness. 

 

What can’t be missed in Marrakech? 

The humour. Even in the darkest hours, people still find comedy. The day after the earthquake in 2023, people were frightened and traumatised but humour quickly started to come through. 

 

Where would you recommend for a date?

Go for two or three days to Ouirgane in the Atlas mountains. There are nice, small hotels with traditional food and views of the mountains and water. It’s so peaceful and immersed in nature. The hospitality is amazing too and it’s such a relaxing place to visit. 

 

 

If you want to know your Azilal from your Beni Ouarain before you shop, read our guide to Moroccan rug styles.

 

:: Soufny Art Gallery 18 Rue Sidi el Yamani is open 11am to midnight daily.

 

Ibrahim features in our roundup of the top five places to buy rugs in Marrakech, alongside four other dealers we return to again and again.