Abdelhadi Slimani, a Moroccan Saharan nomad, was born in the desert at Erg Cheggaga, where he spent his childhood. Later the lack of rain forced the family to leave their nomadic life and base themselves in the ancestral house in the village (ksar) of M’hamid El Ghizlane. Although many Moroccans have never visited M’hamid, they know its romantic name which conjures up the image of the gazelles that used to roam this area.
Abdelhadi is an experienced and much acclaimed tour guide around the whole of the south, stretching from Ouarzazate in the west to the Dades and the Toudra Gorges and to Merzouga in the east, and south to Zagora and the dunes of Erg Cheggaga. In the last few years he has increased his knowledge of this area through accompanying clients into the mountains and west to Agadir.
His first guiding experiences were gained accompanying treks into the dunes, travelling several days with camels and all the necessary camping equipment. He taught them how to cook over a camp fire, bake bread in the sand, pitch a tent as well as some camel lore. He is happiest out in the desert and through Desert Majesty wishes to offer others desert experiences.
Abdelhadi speaks Moroccan Arabic, Hassani, (the Arabic spoken by the nomadic people in this region and in the Western Sahara), English and French and knows a smattering of phrases in German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese taught him by clients.
Felicity Greenlaw-Weber is a native of England and has been settled in Morocco since January 2004, when she first came to Casablanca as a qualified and highly experienced teacher of English. She now also works throughout Morocco with the Cambridge English Language Exams as an instructor and oral examiner trainer.
She fell in love with Morocco and especially the landscapes of the south with their raw beauty and with the silence of the desert and their star-studded skies. In setting up the company Desert Majesty, she would like to offer others an opportunity to get to know this special area.
It is Felicity who answers all your emails, requests and questions. Whatever your wish or query, you will receive a considered, individual reply. She is fluent in English, German and French and is on the way to becoming so in Darija, the Moroccan dialect of Arabic.
Saïd Ahnana stems from a nomadic family based in the desert near Merzouga, but now his family lives in Erfoud. He works with us as both a guide and as a driver. He is a sensitive driver, caring for the comfort of his passengers and the well being of the car.
He has a great deal of experience in tourism, having worked as a guide and receiving guests in a bivouac in the Merzouga dunes. He receives much acclaim for his thoughtfulness, kindness and willingness to please as well as his ability to explain his culture and his background.
Said speaks Moroccan Arabic, Hassani, the language of the nomads, excellent English, French and Spanish as well as some Berber.
Ali is a Berber from a village near Mhamid El Ghizlane and has several years experience as a driver and guide in the region. He is an excellent driver, never taking risks either with the car or its passengers. With him you’ll always feel in good hands; he knows the mountain roads and the desert pistes well.
Of course Ali speaks Berber as well as Darija, the Moroccan dialect of Arabic. His French is excellent and being like all Moroccans quick at learning languages, his English is improving every day.
Our driver, Habib, is a Bedouin nomad. He was born in Taous, south of Merzouga, which is the last village accessible by road at that point of the Sahara. His family, like many other nomad families, has now abandoned their nomadic existence and live slightly further north in Erfoud. There, after finishing his schooling, he started working at a local bivouac at Erg Chebbi as a camelman. Later he worked at the reception of a local hotel and Kasbah. For the past five years, he has been driving tourists and now we are delighted that he has joined our team. He is very highly appreciated by all our clients. They like him for his safe driving, good humour, great knowledge of the locality, his helpfulness and friendliness. He speaks good English, French and Spanish as well as Moroccan Arabic “Darija”, Berber and Hassani, the language of the Moroccan Saharoui.
