The history of tadelakt dates back thousands of years. It has its origins in and around the ancient city of Marrakech in Morocco at the foot of the High Atlas mountains. There the Berbers, some of the original people to inhabit North Africa, discovered the water resistant alchemy achieved by combining lime with olive oil soap.

The highly specialized plastering technique was originally used to waterproof earthen cisterns; the ability to effectively and hygienically store water was a major development. Thereafter, it gained prominence as a remarkably attractive finish that could be pigmented and applied on any surface. A highly-prized surface treatment, it was widely applied in the traditional hammams and royal palaces of North Africa.

The word “tadelakt” comes from the Arabic verb “dlek” which means to rub, knead, or perhaps most appropriately, “to caress”. This describes the final step of finishing where a smooth stone is used to burnish the applied plaster. The texture obtained through this delicate process cannot easily be described in words or pictures. It is only through touching it that this unique finish can fully be appreciated. A tadelakt surface has the hardness of stone and the smoothness of silk.

The desired color is obtained with the same mineral pigments that have been used since antiquity. Unlike some plasters, tadelakt is not a standardized finish. Walls maintain a hand crafted appearance with a shiny, slightly wavy surface. Tadelakt develops a patina over time that produces a subtle, ever-changing sheen. When properly applied, it also develops very fine hair-line cracks that add to the ancient appearance of the finish.

To this day in Morocco, the tadelakt technique is passed down as an oral tradition from master to apprentice in an unbroken lineage. The lime is still produced from limestone gathered from local quarries and fired in stone kilns. Tadelakt is as much about process as it is material, however, and the tools and application methods have changed little over time.

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