I have been seeing photographs of this tiny bookshop for years, but they never identified the bookstore or the bookseller. Recently, I finally found a story that provided a narrative to go with the images.

The shop is called Bouquiniste El Azizi and it is located in the old Medina of Morocco’s capital city Rabat. On most days, 75 year-old Mohammed Aziz can be found reading on the doorstep of the little bookshop, as he has been doing for the past 46 years. Although he only had an elementary school education, Aziz taught himself to read French, Spanish, Italian, and German.

Bouquiniste El Azizi may be tiny, but on any given day it offers readers selections in at least 7 different languages. Aziz proudly keeps the shop open 12 hours a day and offers students bargain prices on school books.