• Director Salwa Gaspard at Al Saqi Books in Bayswater, west London. The shop, which specialises in Middle East books, will close for good on New Year's Eve. All photos: AFP
    Director Salwa Gaspard at Al Saqi Books in Bayswater, west London. The shop, which specialises in Middle East books, will close for good on New Year's Eve. All photos: AFP
  • Al Saqi Books, which opened in 1978, has not survived the pandemic, Brexit and the political and economic chaos in Lebanon, the source of most of its books
    Al Saqi Books, which opened in 1978, has not survived the pandemic, Brexit and the political and economic chaos in Lebanon, the source of most of its books
  • The London bookshop is known to literary enthusiasts throughout the Middle East
    The London bookshop is known to literary enthusiasts throughout the Middle East
  • Much of the stock on crammed shelves at Al Saqi Books is printed in Lebanon
    Much of the stock on crammed shelves at Al Saqi Books is printed in Lebanon
  • The shop is a Middle East bibliophile's dream
    The shop is a Middle East bibliophile's dream
  • Plans to close the shop were announced on December 5
    Plans to close the shop were announced on December 5
  • A shop assistant at the specialist bookshop in Bayswater
    A shop assistant at the specialist bookshop in Bayswater
  • The economic chaos in Lebanon is one of the factors forcing the shop to close
    The economic chaos in Lebanon is one of the factors forcing the shop to close

World

Specialist Middle East bookshop in London to close on New Year's Eve - in pictures

Al Saqi Books, which opened in 1978, has not survived the pandemic, Brexit and the political and economic chaos in Lebanon, the source of most of its books

The National

December 23, 2022

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  • Arabic
Updated: December 23, 2022, 2:44 PM
PhotographyLondon