This little corner is dedicated to the beautiful intersecting crafts that relate to the plant world – alchemy, gardening, herbalism, distillation and astrology. It is inspired by the Islamic Tradition, with interwoven histories between North Africa, Europe and the gardens of the island of Britain.
Amongst it all, you will find translations of sacred plant-based writings (Arabic-English), as well as more personal reflections, recipes, interviews and more. I hope that you can find something of interest, and please do feel free to get in touch if you have questions.
I am Miriam – a UK/Fez-based researcher, writer and practitioner in the fields of herbalism, distillation and gardening, and passionate about the intersecting lines that tie together traditional scientific practice. My ancestry is British and my family are mixed Moroccan/British. Our home is the old town of Fez. Somehow in this work I try to tie together all the loose threads of this journey.
I started the Atlas Apothecary as a project tentatively and slowly in 2016 as a way to share my research and practice in the fields of folk herbalism and kitchen crafts, with the intention that it would benefit our community and all those to whom this knowledge belongs. I have since shared this work in workshops and lectures, particularly teaching the craft of herbal distillation. My teachers have been predominantly the women of Fez, namely Khalissa, and Latifa (my mother-in-law) with others from the UK, Europe and elsewhere, including Rabiah, Cathy and my mother.
If you would like to know more about my work, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Contact: info@atlasapothecary.com
Illustrations ©Kat Ali (www.katodinaali.com)
The Atlas Apothecary Sourcebook 