16 Facts About Mohamed Hamri

Mohamed Hamri, commonly known as Hamri, was a Moroccan painter, restauranteur, and author; he helped write and produce Sufi music.

Self-described as "The painter of Morocco," Hamri was one of the few Moroccans to participate in the Tangier Beat scene.

Mohamed Hamri was born in 1932 in Jajouka, a village at the southern end of the Rif Mountains near Ksar el-Kebir, in northern Morocco.

Mohamed Hamri's father was a ceramics artist who painted his pieces following an ancient tradition.

Mohamed Hamri's mother was born into the Attar family of Zahjouka musicians.

Mohamed Hamri's uncle was the leader of the Master Musicians of Joujouka.

Mohamed Hamri is father to Sanaa Mohamed Hamri, the first Moroccan woman to direct a Hollywood movie.

Mohamed Hamri helped the Master Musicians of Joujouka survive by bringing them to Tangier to play.

Together with Gysin, Mohamed Hamri set up the "1001 Nights Restaurant" in Tangier with Mohamed Hamri as cook and where Gysin employed the master musicians to play.

In 1968, Gysin and Mohamed Hamri took Jones to the village to record the master musicians in the ground-breaking release Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka, whose original cover featured a painting of Jones and the Master Musicians of Joujouka by Mohamed Hamri before a 1990s redesign.

From 1980 onwards, Mohamed Hamri divided his time between Tangier and Zahjouka.

On his return to Morocco Mohamed Hamri built a new house in Zahjouka, which became a gathering place for the musicians.

In 1992, Mohamed Hamri participated in The Here to Go Show in Dublin, Ireland.

In 1994 Mohamed Hamri arranged for the Master Musicians of Joujouka to record their first CD release Joujouka Black Eyes.

Mohamed Hamri had over 50 exhibitions of his paintings in Morocco, Spain, Lebanon, Canary Islands, Germany, United States, UK and Ireland during his lifetime.

Mohamed Hamri died in 2000 and is buried in the centre of the village, close to the tomb of the local Muslim saint Sidi Ahmed Sheikh.