Gejmat

The Gejmat (also: Gjmat, Gzmiat) is a Moroccan rug type that occupies a specific technical register between flatweave and pile-knotted: it uses a flat-knotting technique in which knots are tied differently from the standard Ghiordes or Senneh pile knot, producing a textured surface that lies flatter than conventional pile but has more surface character than a plain kilim.

The Gejmat tradition is associated with the Atlantic coastal cities. Rabat, Salé, and the broader northern Atlantic plain. This is a different cultural context from the mountain weaving traditions: an urban and peri-urban tradition with some influence from both Amazigh and Arab-Andalusian textile cultures. The compositions tend toward geometric but with a more urban, workshop-influenced character than village weaving.

Gejmat pieces are less common in the international market than High Atlas or Middle Atlas types, which means they are less familiar to most buyers and more likely to be genuinely what they claim to be when attributed correctly. They represent a specific and legitimate tradition that is commercially undervalued relative to its quality and cultural distinctiveness.