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The IMA collection of North African textiles, primarily embroideries from Morocco and Tunisia, was donated by two Indianapolis sisters, Eliza and Sarah Niblack, in the early 1930s. A survey of the collection in 1993 revealed a major gap in the area of Berber weavings. The Berber, who live in the mountainous areas of Morocco, create exceptional weavings. Frank Hall, an architect, has been buying rugs in Morocco for 25 years, and the museum had purchased a number of early Berber weavings from him. This rug was not for sale since Hall considered it one of the oldest and finest saddle rugs in his collection, but he did generously donate it.