Handira

The handira is a specific textile type from Amazigh communities of the Middle Atlas, particularly associated with Zemmour, Beni Mguild, and Beni Ourain communities. It is made on a horizontal ground loom and characterised by its white or ivory ground, its loose, almost textile-like construction, and its incorporation of metal discs (usually aluminium or silver-coloured sequins) and sometimes metallic thread.

Traditionally the handira was made by a woman and her female relatives in preparation for her own wedding. It served as a ceremonial wrap during the wedding and was afterwards used as a domestic covering, a wedding blanket that continued in daily life. The sequins are not decorative additions; they are integral to the textile's ceremonial identity and were believed to have protective properties.

Handiras are one of the most widely copied and commercially produced "Moroccan" textiles, which makes authentic vintage examples relatively easy to distinguish from later commercial production: the weight of real sequins, the quality of the woven ground, and the natural ageing of both are clearly different.