Tazouaqt

Tazouaqt (Arabic: تزواقت, in Berber languages: ⵜⴰⵣⵡⵡⴰⵇⵜ), also called Zouaq, refers to the art of traditional painting on wood in Morocco.

In cities known for Tazouaqt such as Fez, Marrakech and Chefchaouen, wooden works are not considered completed until they are painted.

[1] The zawwaqa (or artisan painters) have an astonishing ability to trace geometric or floral patterns.

They know the secrets of "Ḥasba" and "Qasma"; fundamental rules of geometric patterns[2] generally named "Tastīr".

[3] The Ḥasba and the Qasma represent the methods of constructing pure Moroccan geometric patterns.

[4] These methods are not only used for Tazouaqt, but they are used to draw geometric patterns for all other traditional arts: carved wood, plaster, stone or marble, chiseled or engraved metal, zellige, etc.

some geometric patterns have the shape of a planetary system;[7] large stars in the center surrounded by other small ones.

[1] Originally, mineral pigments were often used by mixing it with skin glue and heating the mixture on a brazier (Mejmar).

[9]The production of the stencil depends on the surface to be painted, whether they are architectural elements of a building (door or window leaves, ceilings, canopies, friezes, etc.)

Moreover, if two craftsmen work, for example, on the same ceiling, distinguishing the zouaq performed by each M'allem is not very difficult if you look at it closely.

Once the paint applied in the “Trih” stage has dried, there is no longer any need for the powder which marked the pattern, so we get rid of it.

Then we draw a thin line on the edges of the pattern with a thinner brush, with the white or black color.

The application is simple, after the assured drying of the paint, a cloth soaked in linseed oil varnishes the surface.