Damascus bookshops disappear as crisis hits culture - in pictures

Muhammad Salem Al Nouri, 71, blows dust off a book at the Dar Al Maarifa library in Damascus, which was forced to close in 2000 because of poor sales and growing costs. All photos: AFP
The Al Nouri bookstore in Damascus, which was founded in 1930, is threatened with closure.
Samar Haddad poses for a picture at the Dar Atlas publishing house, founded by her father in 1955. Damascus bookshops and publishing houses are being replaced with shoe shops and financial services companies.
Khalil Haddad works at the Dar Oussama publishing house in Damascus.
Bookshops once stood as beacons of Syria's intellectual life.
Khalil Haddad reads a book at the Dar Oussama publishing house. Books have become a 'luxury' for Syrians.