Moroccan brass lamps: the complete guide
What a hand-pierced Moroccan lamp is, how it is made, how to choose the size and the bulb, how to tell a real one, and how to look after it.
A Moroccan brass lamp is a light whose shade is cut from sheet brass and pierced by hand, so that the bulb inside throws a pattern of light and shadow across the room. It is one of the best-known products of Moroccan metalwork, and it is what we make most of in our workshop in Marrakech.
This guide covers everything we are asked about them. Each section links to a longer article if you want the detail.
What makes a lamp "Moroccan"?
Three things, together:
- The metal. Brass is the classic, for its warm yellow light. Copper gives a redder glow, and nickel silver (maillechort in French) gives a cooler, silver-white one. If you are not sure what a lamp is made of, see the difference between brass, bronze and copper.
- The piercing. The pattern is punched through the metal with small steel chisels and a hammer, hole by hole. It is the piercing, not the shape, that makes a Moroccan lamp. We explain the whole process in how a Moroccan lamp is hand-pierced.
- The patterns. Mostly geometric — stars, interlaced polygons, the multi-pointed rosettes of zellij tilework — with floral arabesques in between.
The main types
| Type | Moroccan name | Where it goes | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandelier | thurayya | Entrance halls, living and dining rooms, stairwells | 50–120 cm wide |
| Pendant | — | Over a table, a kitchen island, a bedside | 20–40 cm wide |
| Lantern | fanous | Hung in groups, courtyards, covered terraces | 15–35 cm wide |
| Wall sconce | — | Corridors, stairs, either side of a bed or mirror | 20–45 cm tall |
| Table lamp | — | Side tables, desks, a dark corner | 30–60 cm tall |
Our Star chandelier is a thurayya: 1 m tall and 80 cm wide, a conical crown over a star-shaped hexagonal base. Pendants and wall sconces are the smaller end of the same family, and we make them to order.
How big should it be?
Bigger than most people expect. A chandelier that is too small is the commonest mistake we see, because a pierced lamp reads smaller on the ceiling than it does on the floor of a shop.
The quick rule: diameter in centimetres ≈ (room length + room width in metres) × 8. A 4 × 5 m living room wants something around 70–75 cm across. Over a dining table, aim for half to two-thirds of the table's width and hang the bottom 75–90 cm above the tabletop. The full method, with ceiling heights, is in our Moroccan chandelier size guide.
Which bulb?
The bulb decides whether you get a pattern at all.
- Clear, not frosted. A small, clear filament throws sharp shadows. A frosted bulb is a large, soft source and blurs the pattern to a glow.
- Warm white, 2700 K. Brass already warms the light; anything cooler than 3000 K looks grey through it.
- LED. It runs cool inside a closed metal shade.
More on lumens, fittings and dimmers in which bulb to use in a Moroccan lamp.
How to tell a hand-pierced lamp
Look at the holes. Hand-punched openings vary very slightly from one to the next and leave a small burr on the inside face; laser-cut and die-stamped ones are identical. Then hold a magnet to the lamp: solid brass does not attract one, and brass-plated steel does. The five checks we would make before buying are in hand-pierced or machine-cut?.
Looking after it
Dust gathers in the piercing, so a soft brush once a month is most of the job. Unlacquered brass will darken over months; you can polish it back or let it age. Step-by-step instructions are in how to clean a Moroccan brass lamp, and the wider picture of brass care is in our brass care guide.
Buying one
You can buy in the souks of the medina, directly from a workshop, or online. Each has its trade-offs — we set them out honestly in buying handmade metalwork from Marrakech, including how a chandelier is packed and shipped abroad.
Questions people ask
- What is a Moroccan lamp made of?
- Traditionally of brass (an alloy of copper and zinc), copper, or nickel silver, which is a silver-coloured alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. The better lamps are solid sheet metal throughout; cheaper ones are often brass-plated steel.
- What is a Moroccan chandelier called?
- In Morocco a large hanging lamp is usually called a thurayya (also spelled thuraya or tria), the Arabic word for chandelier. Smaller hanging lanterns are called fanous.
- Are Moroccan lamps bright enough to light a room?
- A pierced lamp gives less direct light than an open shade because much of it is blocked by the metal — that is where the pattern comes from. A large chandelier with several bulbs can light a room; smaller pendants and sconces work best as atmosphere alongside another light source.
- How much does a handmade Moroccan brass chandelier cost?
- It depends on size and how much of it is hand-pierced. Our Star chandelier, 1 m tall and 80 cm wide in solid brass, is 5,000 MAD at the workshop in Marrakech. Much lower prices for a similar size usually mean machine cutting, thinner metal or plated steel.
- moroccan lamps
- brass chandelier
- lighting
- marrakech
