(2 Oct 2023)
MOROCCO TILEWORK
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 4:42
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Marrakech, Morocco - 29 January 2023
1. Entrance to a room in the centuries-old courtyard house of Ksour Agafay Ryad in the old Medina of Marrakech
2. Pan of tilework, known as Zellige
3. Close of Zellige tilework on wall
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fez, Morocco - 26 September 2023
4. Black smoke rising from from village of Zellige craftsmen, 13 kilometers (8 miles) away from Fez
5. Zellige workshop of Hissouf Abdellatif, worker pushing a wheelbarrow
6. Worker filling wheelbarrow with clay stones
7. Worker removing clay paste from basin
8. Various of worker spreading and shaping clay paste using molds
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hissouf Abdellatif, owner of a Zellige workshop:
"In the old method of making Zellige, many craftsmen took shortcuts in this craft. They used car tires and leftover pieces of cloth to fuel the oven fires, which harmed our health. We suffered because of this. Now, the craft has evolved. We've left behind the old ways and we have started using more natural methods."
10. Various of worker dipping tiles in liquid
11. Various of workers painting bricks
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hissouf Abdellatif, owner of a Zellige workshop in the Zellige
"There is a wide variety of tile shapes and types. Traditional colors include yellow, blue, green, and white, but there are also modern hues such as pink and purple that are preferred by European customers. The tile shapes are tailored according to the customer’s preferences."
13. Various of Abdellatif and other workers in a workshop, putting colored tiles in kiln
14. Various of traditional kilns in another one of Abdellatif's workshops
15. Various of American-made kiln run by gas in the workshop of Malih Mohamed, in the same village
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Malih Mohamed, owner of a Zellige workshop:
"The American-made kilns simplify our challenging tasks and save time. They produce high-quality tiles and reduce the workforce required, unlike traditional kilns."
17. Various of workers using hammers to create small shapes from the tiles already baked in the kiln
18. Various of worker arranging the small pieces of tiles
19. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Malih Mohamed, owner of a Zellige workshop:
"We've modernized the craft. For instance, we've expanded our color palette and improved our working methods. Previously, we produced 1,000 tile units per month. Now, our output ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 tile units a month."
20. Various of workers in Abdellatif's storage warehouse, filling and packaging boxes of tiles set to be exported to the U.S.
21. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hissouf Abdellatif, owner of a Zellige workshop:
"We primarily export to European and American markets, with 90% of our exports going to the U.S. They're drawn to the traditional clay craftsmanship."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Rabat, Morocco - 3 December 2020
22. Various of Zellige decorating walls of the house of a Moriscos family
STORYLINE:
Fez, a historic Moroccan city founded in 789 AD, is renowned for its Zellige tiles.
The vibrant tilework adorns the city's palaces, courtyard houses and mosques.
The Zellige Craftsmen Village, 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Fez's center, is dedicated to the tilework industry.
There, more than 200 workshops buzz with thousands of craftsmen and workers who make Zellige.
Fez's clay, a raw material fundamental to Zellige production, goes through a long process before it is turned into tiles.
At one workshop in the village, workers soak eight tons of clay every day.
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