4 min read
Moroccan woodwork: cedar, thuya and the carving tradition
One wood built the ceilings of imperial palaces; another, found in one region only, built a whole marquetry industry.
Written by Morocco Tailored Tours.
Cedar from the Middle Atlas forests has been Morocco's structural and decorative wood of choice for centuries. Carved ceiling beams, monumental doors, the lattice screens known as mashrabiya, all traditionally use it, prized for being workable, aromatic, and resistant to insects. A lot of what looks like painted plaster ceiling in an old palace or madrasa is actually carved cedar underneath the paint.
Thuya wood is a narrower, stranger story. The tree grows almost exclusively around Essaouira. Its burl, the gnarled root growth, produces a richly patterned wood used for marquetry and inlay work: boxes, chess sets, furniture panels, often combined with mother-of-pearl or contrasting wood strips.
Both crafts are still done entirely by hand. Carving uses chisels, not machine routers, for the fine geometric and floral patterns, and marquetry is cut and fitted piece by piece. It's slow work, which is part of why a well-made piece costs a lot more than a quick souvenir version.
Essaouira is where you actually see thuya work being made, not just sold. Several workshops sit inside the old town ramparts, and watching a craftsman cut and fit an inlay pattern makes it obvious why the good pieces aren't cheap.
Want to see how this works on a real route? Our 6-Day Women's Wellness Tour from Casablanca and 10-Day Morocco Tour from Fez to Marrakech via the Sahara and Essaouira are private itineraries we can adjust to fit.
Planning around Essaouira? Read the Essaouira destination guide, or see 6-Day Women's Wellness Tour from Casablanca, a sample itinerary that includes it.
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6-Day Women's Wellness Tour from Casablanca
A private 6-day women's wellness tour from Casablanca covering Casablanca, Marrakech and Essaouira. A women-only trip departing Casablanca: hammam rituals in Marrakech, a women's argan cooperative visit, and a closing stretch by the Atlantic in Essaouira.
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Read articleTours for this trip
6-Day Women's Wellness Tour from Casablanca
A private 6-day women's wellness tour from Casablanca covering Casablanca, Marrakech and Essaouira. A women-only trip departing Casablanca: hammam rituals in Marrakech, a women's argan cooperative visit, and a closing stretch by the Atlantic in Essaouira.
Visits Casablanca · Marrakech · Essaouira
From€1,409(≈ $1,575 USD)€1,658 (≈ $1,850 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
10-Day Morocco Tour from Fez to Marrakech via the Sahara and Essaouira
A private 10-day Morocco tour that starts in Fez and ends in Marrakech, with three nights in the Fez medina, a night in Chefchaouen and two nights in the Sahara. It finishes with a day trip to Essaouira and a guided morning in Marrakech.
Visits Fez · Chefchaouen · Sahara Desert · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · Essaouira · +4 more
From€2,625(≈ $2,935 USD)€3,088 (≈ $3,450 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
10-Day Morocco Tour from Tangier via the Imperial Cities, Sahara and Essaouira
A private 10-day Morocco tour that runs south from Tangier through Tetouan and Chefchaouen to Fez, the Sahara, the Atlas kasbahs and Marrakech, finishing on the Atlantic coast at Essaouira. The route has a full guided day in each of Fez and Marrakech and a night in the Sahara, without doubling back.
Visits Chefchaouen · Fez · Sahara Desert · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · Essaouira · +5 more
From€2,625(≈ $2,935 USD)€3,088 (≈ $3,450 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room