Book shopping in Middle East
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A
Educational Bookshop
East Jerusalem’s best bookshop has an impressive range of books and DVDs pertaining to the Arab–Israeli conflict, as well as a good selection of magazines and Palestinian music CDs. It also boasts a reading balcony, cafe and function room. Journalists, aid workers, activists and other politically aware people make this place a regular stop on their East Jerusalem wanderings.
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B
Gita Shenasi
The undisputed king of Iranian map-making is Gita Shenasi in Tehran, which publishes an impressive array of maps covering all the major towns and cities and some of the mountain ranges. A growing number of its maps are in English, while many others list the names of major streets, suburbs and squares in English, although everything else, including the text and indexes, is in Farsi. Maps are harder to find outside Tehran.
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C
National Society for the Preservation of Madaba Shop
Next to the entrance to the Burnt Palace, the National Society for the Preservation of Madaba and its Suburbs has a necessarily long sign and friendly staff. The organisation aims to preserve Madaba's heritage, with a particular focus on protecting the architectural and historical integrity of the old houses around town. It is partly funded by the sale of maps, books and souvenirs from its shop. Opening hours are erratic.
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D
House of Prose
Presided over by a convivial American named Mike, this comfortably worn-round-the-edges bookstore overflows with second-hand English-language books, from classic lit to obscure biographies and travel guides. After you’ve read your book, you can bring it back for 50% credit towards your next purchase. There’s another branch in Ibn Battuta Mall.
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E
Magrudy’s
Magrudy’s stocks a wide selection of English-language books, with a standout collection of travel, language and children’s titles. There are also intriguing books on Middle East history and politics, and a full complement of coffee-table books on Dubai. Only the magazine selection is weak. Check the website for additional branches.
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F
Book City Niyavaran Store
For English-language books, the Book City chain is your best option. Most top-end hotels also sell books (mainly pictorials) about Iran, as do the National Museum of Iran and Sa'd Abad Museum Complex. Some people like this store even more than the Book City Hafez store, though the fun police have closed the attached café.
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G
Book Corner
The number of English and Arabic titles is astounding, but the best reason to come here is for travel-related and children’s products. Look for the ‘Quran Challenge Game’, a wacky souvenir. NB: If you’re buying travel books, check the publication dates (the store stocks out-of-date titles as well as new ones).
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H
Lametayel
A combination bookshop and camping store, specialising in travel books and maps. It carries a full range of Lonely Planet guidebooks and promotes loitering - there is a comfy sitting room with beanbags and cushions, and also a useful board posting messages to others looking for travel partners.
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I
Halper's
A combination bookshop and camping store, specialising in travel books and maps. It carries a full range of Lonely Planet guidebooks and promotes loitering - there is a comfy sitting room with beanbags and cushions, and also a useful board posting messages to others looking for travel partners.
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Chahba Cham Palace
The best bookshop in Aleppo is at this hotel. It has a reasonable selection of books about Syria and the Arab world, some locally produced guidebooks, and a handful of novels in both English and French. There's also a limited range of international newspapers available.
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J
Librairie Avicenne
One block south of Cham Palace, Damascus' best bookshop stocks foreign-language publications with a decent range of Syria guidebooks, coffee-table books on the Middle East, phrase books, and novels in English and French.
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K
CD-Thèque
Cool books on Middle East photography, visual culture and cultural studies can be found at CD-Thèque, which stocks an enormous range of excellent DVDs, videos and CDs from the region, in all genres and styles.
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L
Friday Book Market
The Friday book market is good for English-language magazines including the Economist (IR10,000). Blind peddlers outside the Haram near Falakeh Ab sell excellent city maps (IR6000).
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M
Family Bookshop
A helpful store stocking a variety of books in English, including travel guides and a range of English literature. Other branches are inside the Sheraton Doha Hotel & Resort and at City Center.
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N
Virgin Megastore
A failsafe option for fiction, new releases, maps and coffee table titles. Also a good place to browse for Lebanese music, and pick up tickets to the slew of Lebanese summer festivals.
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O
Sefer Vesefel
This Jerusalem institution houses floor-to-ceiling new and secondhand fiction and nonfiction titles. It’s upstairs in an alley linking Jaffa Rd with Mordechai Ben Hillel St.
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Steimatzky
Steimatzky is a chain bookshop with several branches around town including ben Yehuda St in the New City, Jaffa Rd in the New City and the Central Bus Station in Romema.
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P
Redwan Bookshop
One of the best in Jordan with an extensive selection of newspapers, hard-to-find Jordanian titles, Lonely Planet guidebooks, and English, German and French novels.
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Q
Book Mall
Enormous bookshop with a small café and reasonable English-language fiction and travel books. Internet access costs around Dh5 per hour. It's near Al-Qasba Canal.
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R
Naufal Booksellers
Stockist of all things Lebanese, from maps to cookery books; a great place with helpful staff, to spend an hour or two browsing and planning your onward journey.
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S
Jahanelm Institute
Magazines ranging from the Economist to Vogue. It’s on the floor below ground level in a large arcade with red-painted trim.
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T
Kuwait Bookshop
With a wide selection of bestsellers, books on current affairs and local-interest, this is the best place to look for English-language books.
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U
Jarir Bookshop
A large selection of English-language books, including coffee table books pertaining to the region, and a limited selection of best sellers.
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V
Librairie Antoine
A dependable chain with travel titles, a broad selection of nonfiction and illustrated tomes and a wide range of books for children.
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