Two brothers.
The same roots.

Children of the Sahara

We are Hassan and Saïd, two brothers born in Merzouga, in the heart of the Sahara. Our family was one of the first to settle in what is now the village of Merzouga. We grew up among the dunes, living simply, with a childhood that was sometimes difficult but full of dreams.

Our parents had a simple wish: for us to learn to read and write, to write our names and read a letter. To them, school offered a chance to change our future. So we went to school.

During those years, we began approaching tourists arriving in Merzouga. We asked them for one dirham while trying to learn a few words of their language. We were still children, but those encounters already sparked our curiosity: where did they come from? How did they live? How could we understand each other?

Fossils and our first paths

After primary school, we had to study in a town around 35 kilometres from Merzouga. We tried to continue our education, but circumstances meant we had to stop. We returned to the village and began working.

Our father searched for fossils in the desert. We helped him by selling them and, for several years, our work revolved around fossils, the Sahara and our family.

At 23, one of us bought his first camel and began working as a guide and camel handler for different hotels in Merzouga. It was the start of a new chapter, following paths through the dunes and sharing conversations with travellers.

Opening the door to our home

One day, travellers we met on a desert trip told us about Couchsurfing. Elsewhere in Morocco, they had stayed with families and shared their everyday lives. The idea made us want to offer the same in Merzouga.

The day after that encounter, a visit to an internet café and signing up to Couchsurfing opened a new chapter. We began welcoming travellers into our home and sharing our family life with them.

We wanted to share much more than a place to sleep: our food, traditions, work and life as a desert family. Gradually, travellers arrived from all over the world. Trust grew, and many asked us to accompany them into the Sahara too. That is how tourism became part of our lives.

Our first camp

After several years of welcoming travellers at home, a new idea emerged: building our own camp in the heart of the desert. It wasn’t easy. But with a great deal of effort, we brought that dream to life.

We set up our camp among the dunes of Merzouga and began welcoming travellers from different countries. For us, this place was a way to share our culture, music, food and way of life in the Sahara.

Dar Marhaba, a family dream

After opening the camp, we received more and more messages from travellers wanting to stay with us and meet our family. At first, they asked to sleep in our home. Over time, they began paying for the experience.

We then imagined a place where travellers would feel at home, which could also create work for our brothers and other families in Merzouga. That is how the idea for our riad was born.

We wanted to work together, bring our brothers together and open up opportunities for people in our village. Tourism could help our family and our community. That idea still gives meaning to our work today.

Two brothers, the same welcome

Today, we each have our role. Hassan looks after the riad: welcoming travellers, sharing our culture and making sure they feel at home. Saïd looks after the camp and accompanies guests as they discover the desert, its dunes and its secrets.

Looking back, we remember two children going to school to learn to read and write, then approaching tourists to ask for a dirham and learn a few words. We never imagined those small encounters would change our lives.

We still live in the same desert. The dunes that were our playground have become the place where we welcome travellers from around the world. We have built our path, little by little, without forgetting our roots.