Afaq Books

	Area:	Downtown
	Address:	4 Mohamed Mazloum Street (at Hoda Shaarawi) (map)
	Telephone*:	2392 6114
	Website:	Facebook page: آفاق للنشر والتوزيع/Afaq Books and Afaq Cairo
	Bookstore Hours:	10am-11pm
	Founder:	Sawsan Bashir & Mostafa Alsheikh
	Established:	2004
Background: Afaq Books was established by Sawsan Bashir and Mostafa Alsheikh in 2004. The house’s main focus is publishing contemporary literature although it also publishes academic non-fiction, literary studies and translated literature. It has participated in co-publishing projects, including a project to publish the complete works of Arthur Rimbaud in cooperation with the French Institute in Cairo and Dar Al Jamal (Lebanon). Afaq also publishes a good amount of poetry; their list includes collections by Saadi Yousef (Iraq), Helmi Salem (Egypt), Fatma Qandil (Egypt), and Lina Tibi (Syria). The house maintains ties with many publishing houses and distributors outside of Egypt and attends as many of the book fairs held throughout the Arab world as possible, including Cairo, Casablanca, Riyadh, Algiers and others. Recognizing that many small houses and publishers cannot afford the fees to attend large book fairs, Afaq often represents other publishing houses at such fairs, thereby helping distribute books that may not otherwise be as easily accessible. What you’ll find here: Afaq recently opened at a new location in Downtown Cairo and has been holding readings and signings for some of its new releases (follow them on Facebook for details). The cozy store carries a strong collection of literary publications and is also strong on political science and history. The staff is friendly and ready to help but just as comfortable leaving you to browse their selection. The books are largely organized by publisher, of which there is a large variety; check here if you’re having trouble finding a newer book by a non-Egyptian publisher. Afaq titles can also be found in bookstores such as Diwan and al-Balad.   Last updated: October 2014 صفحة آفاق للنشر والتوزيع بالعربية