Hazim (The Moroccan Man) Character Analysis in The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Hazim, often referred to as “the Moroccan man,” is another refugee living in the English bed and breakfast with Nuri and Afra. Hazim is an elderly man from Morocco who is often reading a book on British customs (though somewhat disdainfully). Although he sometimes irritates Nuri, he is kind, thoughtfully purchasing some plants for the flightless bee Nuri finds in the courtyard. Often, Hazim is the one who finds Nuri sleeping in strange places around the house and brings him back to Afra. He is reluctant to talk about his past, but he tells Nuri eventually that he was separated from his children, and something happened to his daughter. He helps other residents like Diomande prepare for their asylum interviews and sits all day with Nuri when he is hospitalized for hypothermia. Hazim’s genuine kindness and Nuri’s inconsistent reactions to that kindness shed light on both the necessity and the difficulty of achieving human connection during traumatic experiences.

Hazim (The Moroccan Man) Character Timeline in The Beekeeper of Aleppo

The timeline below shows where the character Hazim (The Moroccan Man) appears in The Beekeeper of Aleppo. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...to Nuri). He thought he glimpsed Mohammed in the bathroom yesterday, but it was only the Moroccan man who also stays in the house. They talked about the social worker who Nuri will... (full context)

...is confident “because we have come from the worst place in the world.” He believes the Moroccan man has more to prove than they do. Nuri watches the man sitting in the living... (full context)

...he lets her sleep in his palm while the other residents take tea. Nuri tells the Moroccan man there is not much he can do to help the flightless bee, who has been... (full context)

...up in the garden of the bed and breakfast, clutching some blossoms in his fist. The Moroccan man finds him there and tells him that Afra has been looking for him, crying. Nuri... (full context)

...begins to rain, and he returns to the bed and breakfast to find Afra and the Moroccan man in the living room. (full context)

...does the scent of Afra’s perfume mixed with her sweat. He recognizes the sound of the Moroccan man ’s footsteps in the hall outside their room, and he hears the sound of Mohammed’s... (full context)

...a young man named Diomande from the Ivory Coast. Nuri eavesdrops on his conversation with the Moroccan man about how he came to the UK. Diomande has prominent shoulder blades that look like... (full context)

...he is. Instead, he helps the landlady dust the rooms, noting several personal photos in the Moroccan man ’s room. Feeling heavy, Nuri walks to a convenience store and buys some colored pencils... (full context)

Later in the day, the Moroccan man returns and calls to Nuri. He has purchased several plants for the flightless bee that... (full context)

Nuri asks the Moroccan man why and how he came to the UK, but the man deflects the question. Nuri... (full context)

In the present, Nuri wakes in the garden. The Moroccan man tells Nuri that Afra is upset and waiting for him. When he finds her, Afra... (full context)

...one of the flowers. Nuri remembers managing the hives for nectar flow and honey production. The Moroccan man appears and tells Nuri he should just move his bed to the courtyard. (full context)

In the evening, the Moroccan man helps Diomande prepare for his own asylum interview. He asks why Diomande left his country,... (full context)

...Nuri wakes in a closet at the end of the bed and breakfast’s upstairs hall. The Moroccan man finds him and leads him to his bedroom, where Afra has left a picture she... (full context)

The morning after his immigration interview, Diomande and the Moroccan man are waiting for Nuri in the living room. Diomande feels his interview went well; they... (full context)

Diomande, Nuri, and the Moroccan man discuss the sea as they know it in their home countries, or in Nuri’s case,... (full context)

The next day, the Moroccan man comes to visit Nuri in the hospital. He tells Nuri to rest now and that... (full context)

Nuri and the Moroccan man take the bus to the bed and breakfast. Afra is waiting in the courtyard. When... (full context)

In the morning, Nuri hears the doorbell ringing. The Moroccan man answers it, and Nuri hears someone say his full name. He goes down the stairs... (full context)