Mohammad Mrabet was born in Tangier in 1936. In 1965, he met American composer, writer, and translator Paul Bowles who has since taped and translated numerous strange legends and lively stories recounted by Mrabet into his own inimitable prose. After returning to Tangier from New York in 1960, Mrabet resumed his role as a fisherman and began painting. He continues to paint while living in the Souani area of Tangier.