The khaima is the woven canvas dwelling of nomads who follow their herds to ensure their animals have pasture and water.
In Morocco, it can still be found in regions of transhumance and nomadism (the Atlantic plain, Middle Atlas, High Atlas, Oriental, Banni, Sahara, and the far south).
Among the Sahrawi people, khaima refers to the tent, but it also means family, home, and a place of gathering and hospitality.
The khaima protects from the heat and shelters from the cold, and it meets the mobility requirements of nomadic life.
It is easy to dismantle, fold, roll up, and load onto the back of a dromedary, which will transport it to the next camp.
To make the tent, after the men have sheared (zezz) the goats and camels, large quantities of hair from these animals must be obtained.
The following steps are carried out according to the touiza tradition: the women of the camp gather together and work in solidarity to carry out the necessary tasks, which will take more than 12 months.
First, the hair must be beaten (at-tsasi), carded with a kerchal, and washed to purify the material, which will then be spun with a spindle (mgh, zal) and wound into balls of thread (kobba).
After that, strips (flij) are woven 80 cm wide and of varying lengths. Depending on the size of the tent, 10 to 20 flij must be sewn together
The assembly is completed with a strip called Mtennba (the name given to the 30 cm flij placed at the front and back).
The wooden supports give it its pyramid shape. The central pillars, called Rkaiz, preferably made of acacia wood, are embedded at the top of the canvas using a woven strip that creates a cavity.
The four corner stakes (khoualef) determine the rectangular living space under the double-sloped roof.
The ropes (khomalef) that secure the tent to the ground were also made from goat hair.
Three other shorter stakes support the opening.
The strip (Kfa) around the base of the tent provides insulation and ventilation.
Inside the tent, people make do with the bare minimum.
Mats cover the floor, and small roll-up mattresses are used as beds.
Today, the manufacture of the Khaima is dying out, as are nomadism and many other aspects of nomadic life. the rectangular living space under the double-sloped roof.
The ropes (khomalef) that secure the tent to the ground were also made from goat hair.
Three other shorter stakes support the opening.
The strip (Kfa) around the base of the tent provides insulation and ventilation.
Inside the tent, people make do with the bare minimum.
Mats cover the floor, and small roll-up mattresses are used as be
The Khaima blends in with the landscape and leaves no ecological footprint behind except for the few stones that held the stakes in place to erect it.
Unfortunately, in the 1990s, Moroccan nomads were deprived of their tents by the authorities. The nomads remaining in the Sahara sometimes shelter by building structures out of recycled materials, plastics and other items that bear no resemblance to the aesthetics and nobility of a khaima.
Khaimas are now used by the tourism industry for their exotic appeal.
Attending the Moussem de Tan Tan for « l’Almouggar », which brings together the Sahrawi people, offers the pleasure of seeing them gather in large numbers once a year.