Al-Nahda Al-Arabiya: Baghdad’s literary landmark since 1965

BAGHDAD — Established in 1965, Al-Nahda Al-Arabiya stands as one of Baghdad’s oldest and most famous bookstores. Located on Al-Saadoun Street, the bookstore was founded by the late Abdul Rahman Hassan Hayawi and later managed by Hashem Hussein Athafa in 1977. Over the decades, it has become a cornerstone of Baghdad’s literary and intellectual scene.

In its early years, the bookstore focused on publishing historical, literary, and poetry collections. Hashem Hussein Athafa began his tenure by publishing a collection of poems by renowned Iraqi poet Saadi Youssef, followed by a series of other publications from authors both inside and outside Iraq.

Among its most important works is the complete collection of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, spanning 18 volumes in Arabic. The bookstore has also published works by esteemed Iraqi and Arab scholars and writers.

During the 1980s, the bookstore published over 70 titles in a single year, reflecting its significant contribution to the city’s cultural landscape.

“In the 1990s, despite the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq, the bookstore managed to import books from Egypt and Lebanon, becoming the first Iraqi bookstore to break the embargo,” Ali Hussein Athafa, the director of the bookstore told 964media.

After Hashem Hussein Athafa’s passing in 1999, his sons and brothers took over management and continued the bookstore’s legacy. They published several notable works, adding over 40 titles to the bookstore’s catalog.

Ghaleb Al-Shabandar, a renowned Iraqi writer, described his relationship with the bookstore, “It was once a small but vibrant kiosk. Filled with important and diverse books.”

He continued, “The cultural movement was free, strong, and diverse, and I used to, and still do, visit it frequently. Its owner was lenient and would allow people to take books on deferred payment if they couldn’t afford them.”

He added that the bookstore was a meeting point for intellectuals, recalling encounters with several Iraqi writers including Hussein Mardan, Mohammed Madani Saleh, and Mohammed Hadid.