Rabat medina bookseller Mohamed Aziz goes viral for lifelong passion

Mohamed Aziz, now in his late 70s, has spent decades selling and reading books from a small shop in Rabat

Morocco’s Oldest Bookseller Built A Life Around Reading After Leaving School At 15

In the medina of Rabat, a small bookshop run by Mohamed Aziz has once again caught public attention, after a viral Instagram post highlighted his life and philosophy around books.

Aziz, now in his late 70s, is widely regarded as one of Morocco’s oldest booksellers. His journey began under difficult circumstances. He lost both his parents at a young age and had to leave school at 15 because he could not afford to continue his education.

Despite this, he remained closely connected to books.

According to widely shared accounts, Aziz began selling books in 1963 with a small collection laid out on a rug in the medina. Over time, his collection grew, and by 1967 he had opened a permanent bookshop in the same area, where he continues to work.

He is known for spending long hours reading each day and has, over the years, taught himself multiple languages, including Arabic, French, English and Spanish through books.

The recent Instagram post, which has been widely circulated, also includes a quote attributed to him: “Those who can’t read won’t steal books. And those who can, aren’t thieves.”

The quote reflects a detail often associated with his shop — books displayed openly, sometimes left unattended, in contrast to the busy marketplace around him.

The same post also mentions his life revolving around books, stating that he has read thousands of books in the course of his life over the decades. Such information is hard to verify independently, but these are recurring elements of stories told about him on the internet.

Though Aziz’s profile is becoming increasingly popular on the internet, his everyday existence remains very much the same.

He is still living and working in his bookshop in Rabat, surrounded by the books he loves, leading an existence defined more by books than by education.

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