By Al-Fassel | 2025-09-30

Today, the streets of Damascus are lined with books, a testament to newfound freedom following the fall of the Assad regime last December.

Nowhere is this revival more evident than in the Halbouni neighborhood of Damascus, home to “bookshop alley.” This leafy street, lined with more than two dozen bookstores and printers, has become the epicenter of Syria’s literary resurgence.

At the heart of this movement is the Fardous Bookstore, a small corner shop owned by the Sharqawi family since 1920. Its current owner, Radwan Sharqawi, describes the transformation as nothing short of revolutionary.

“Before, we faced daily interrogations by the security services,” Sharqawi says. “Now, everything is permitted. Nothing is banned. This is a golden era for books!”

Assad’s Iron Grip on Literature

For years, the Assad regime banned any book that strayed from its narrative. Works by intellectuals, opposition figures, or anyone who didn’t toe the Baath Party line were strictly forbidden. Books on Syrian history or the 2011 Arab Spring were treated as contraband.

Sharqawi recalls how, under the regime, books were viewed as dangerous tools of awareness and culture. “The regime treated books worse than drugs,” he says. “They feared knowledge would spread and threaten their control.”

When news of Bashar al-Assad’s fall broke, Sharqawi and other booksellers wasted no time. They brought out banned books they had hidden for years, previously sold only to trusted customers in secret. Crowds quickly formed, eager to purchase the once-forbidden titles.

“The world is a village; you can’t control information or ban knowledge,” Sharqawi says. “People will always find a way to express themselves and read.”

Books Renaissance

Among the most sought-after works are Islamic texts, long suppressed by the Assad regime. Even annotated Qurans, known as tafsīrs, were prohibited for fear they might challenge the regime’s tightly controlled religious narrative.

But it’s not just religious texts that are flying off the shelves. The most dangerous books under the Assad regime—and now the most in-demand—are works of literary fiction. These titles often recount the harrowing experiences of Syrians who endured imprisonment and abuse.

One such book is Bayt Khalti by Ahmed al-Amri, a chilling account of the horrors faced by women in the infamous Sednaya prison.

“This book was the most dangerous one,” says street vendor Hussein Mohammed, holding up a copy of Bayt Khalti. “If they caught you with this, you were a goner.”

For many Syrians, the newfound access to these books represents more than just freedom of expression—it’s a chance to reclaim lost knowledge.

“There are so many books I’ve wanted to read for years,” Mohammed says. “My reading list is long, but my ability to buy them is limited.”

Still, he adds with a smile, “Now we have freedom and the time to read.”

As Syrians embrace this literary renaissance, the streets of Damascus stand as a powerful reminder: Ideas, once suppressed, can never truly be silenced.