leisure
BERBER TREASURE
Walking in to the Casemates Arcade armed with a copy of Gib Mag in one hand and my camera in the other, I didn’t know what to expect from Berber Treasure, but within the first few minutes it was clear I had stumbled stumbled across somewhere quite special.
BY SOPHIE CLIFTON-TUCKER
B
making frequent trips back to her homeland. “The last time I returned to Morocco, I went deep down into the villages in the Altas Mountains. I had never been before, even though I’m Moroccan!” she laughs.
It was here that Ahlam met some talented single women, with no husbands and no income, sitting down together making beautiful rugs. “The ladies buy all the materials for the rugs themselves. They don’t have a big market. There is a middle man who buys Shop owner Ahlam displays a special handmade 'wedding blanket'.
erber Treasure, the newly-opened Moroccan artisanal shop located at the far end of Casemates Arcade is nothing short of an Aladdin’s cave: from organic, natural skincare products, to hand-weaved Moroccan rugs and other carefully crafted objets d’art. Behind the counter you’ll find Ahlam Smith, who has made it her personal aim to unify two worlds, not only improving business relations between Gibraltar and Morocco, but helping single village women claim back their independence by introducing fairer wages. Born in Tangier, Ahlam grew up surrounded by handmade crafts. She fondly recalls the sheepskin rugs that adorned her floors, cooking in tagines, and how her mother, who used to embroider, taught her this delicate art too. Ahlam now resides in Gibraltar, where she has lived for the last 20 years, but has been 56
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MARCH 2020
