Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani (10 May 1940 – 30 May 2012) was a Moroccan

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

and writer.

Biography

Aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

graduate from ''

École nationale de l'aviation civile École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

'' (the French civil aviation university ; promotion 1963) and

graduate from ''

ENSAE ParisTech ENSAE Paris (officially École nationale de la statistique et de l'administration économique Paris) is a university in France, known as Grandes Ecoles and a member of IP Paris (Institut Polytechnique de Paris). ENSAE Paris is known as the spec ...

'' (promotion 1973), Ottmani held senior official positions in the Moroccan public administration, particularly in the Departments of Public Works and Transportation. He was Transportation Planning Director for a long period, before becoming Secretary General of the Ministry of Transports. He was also a founding member of the «association pour la sauvegarde, le développement et la promotion de la ville d'

Essaouira Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...

'' » ("association for the safeguarding, the development and the promotion of

city").

Writing

Ottmani's literary work is largely focused on his hometown,

, which he often referred to by its former name

Mogador Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Morocco, Moroccan region of Marrakesh-Safi, Marakesh-Safi, on the ...

. His first book, "''Une cité sous les alizés''" ("a city under the trade winds"), is a historical study of Mogador-Essaouira from prehistory to the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Then he turned to fiction, but retaining a strong historical basis. In "''Si Mogador m'était contée''" ("if Mogador could talk"), the old narrator, Lalla Aïcha, revives twenty stories from the ignored past of the city. "''Le Soldat qui venait de Mogador''" ("The soldier who came from Mogador") tells the story of the trip to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

of Si Taieb El Ech Chiadmi Maskali, since 1912 ; the young man spent nearly twelve years in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

and is involved in guerrilla warfare by the

Senussi The Senusiyya, Senussi or Sanusi ( ar, السنوسية ''as-Sanūssiyya'') are a Muslim political-religious tariqa (Sufi order) and clan in colonial Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi ( ar, السنوسي ...

against the Italian colonization. "''Le Fils du Soleil''" ("Son of the Sun") is a historical novel which tells the amazing story of Mustapha Zemmouri, better known under the name

Estevanico Estevanico ("Little Stephen"; modern spelling Estebanico; –1539), also known as Esteban de Dorantes or Mustafa Azemmouri (مصطفى الزموري), was the first African to explore North America. Estevanico first appears as a slave in Portu ...

, Moroccan from

Azemmour Azemmour or Azammur ( ar, أزمور, azammūr; ber, ⴰⵣⵎⵎⵓⵔ, azemmur, lit=wild olive tree) is a Moroccan city, lying at the Atlantic ocean coast, on the left bank of the Oum Er-Rbia River, 75 km southwest of Casablanca. Etymol ...

region, slave kidnapped by a Spanish man to America and became one of the first discoverers of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Awards

Ottmani was awarded the "'' Société de Géographie humaine de Paris''" ("humain geography society of Paris) with the "'' prix René-Caillié''" ("René-Caillié award") in 1997. His book "''Le Fils du Soleil''" ("Son of the Sun") received the "''Prix du Maroc du livre''" ("Morocco book award") in 2006 in the creative writing category.Ottmani sort de l'ombre. « Le fils du Soleil »
/ref> His biography of

Si Kaddour Benghabrit Abdelkader Ben Ghabrit (; 1 November 1868 – 24 June 1954), commonly known as Si Kaddour Benghabrit () was an Algerian religious leader, translator and interpreter who worked for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was the first rector of ...

was selected for the "''Prix Grand Atlas''" in 2011.''Le Matin'', 14th of October2011
/ref>

Bibliography

* Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani, ''Une cité sous les alizés : Mogador des origines à 1939'', Éditions La Porte, 1997, 356 p. () * Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani, ''Le Fils du soleil : l'Odyssée d'Estevanico de Azemor'', Éditions La Porte, 2006, 316 p. () * « ''Le Soldat qui venait de Mogador'' » (Ed. La Porte). * « ''Si Mogador était contée'' » (Ed. Eddif). * « ''Kaddour Benghabrit : Un Maghrébin hors du commun'' » (Ed. Marsam).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottmani, Hamza Ben Driss 1940 births 2012 deaths École nationale de l'aviation civile alumni Moroccan economists Moroccan writers in French Aerospace engineers People from Essaouira Moroccan engineers