07/10/2024
The 76-year-old bookseller (1948), Mohamed Aziz, from Rabat, Morocco, spends 6 to 8 hours a day reading books. Having read more than 5,000 books in French, Arabic and English, he remains the oldest bookseller in Rabat after more than 43 years in the same place. When asked why he left his books unattended outside, where they could potentially be stolen, he replied that those who cannot read do not steal books, and those who can read are not thieves. He is known as the most photographic bookseller in the world. He has had his used book stall since 1963 in the Medina, the oldest district of Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Orphaned at the age of 6, he tried his hand at fishing to fulfill his dream of graduating from high school, but at 15 he dropped out of school because he could not afford textbooks, which were too expensive for his family. Frustrated and without studies, he decided to open a bookstore, placing books on a rug on the floor under a tree, and now for over half a century he has run his shop, realizing his dream of studying. His day lasts twelve hours. Before opening the bookstore, he looks for used books in other shops to read and resell them. Today, over seven years old, he says that with two pillows and a book is enough to feel happy. He accumulates towers of books and when you ask him how many he has, he answers that he never has enough. He interrupts reading only to pray, smoke, eat and serve and advise customers interested in specific topics. Over time his bookstore has become famous and many tourists visit it to buy some books and take photographs of him.
