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The Hangzhou National Silk Museum has opened a photographic exhibition titled «Cycling on the Silk Road, from Morocco to China», retracing the remarkable journey of Moroccan cyclist Karim Mosta, who at the age of 70 rode from Casablanca to Beijing in seven months.
Supported by the Moroccan Embassy in China, the exhibition features 50 documentary photographs capturing Mosta’s 15,000-kilometer journey across 15 countries. It will run until July 31.
Launched in February 2024, the route took him through Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China.
The opening ceremony was attended by Morocco’s Ambassador to China, Abdelkader El Ansari, along with Ji Xiaofen, Director of the National Silk Museum, Deputy Director Zhang Chengming, and Yang Hui, Director of the Foreign Cooperation and Exchange Division at the Zhejiang Provincial Department.
Speaking to MAP on the sidelines of the event, Mosta said he holds cherished memories from every country he crossed and expressed pride in representing Morocco throughout the journey. He added that the expedition was a tribute to the 14th-century Tangier explorer Ibn Battuta, who reached China during his travels.
This feat adds to Mosta’s growing list of long-distance cycling achievements, including a ride from Casablanca to Mecca in 2019 and from Amsterdam to Dakar in 2022.
His next challenge is set to take him from San Francisco to New York starting June 7, in support of Morocco’s national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup and to promote the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host.
The museum has also invited Morocco as guest of honor for the upcoming Silk Road Week, held annually around June 22 to mark the Silk Road’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.
