Abdul-Razzaq Ahmad Saryoul began releasing publications in Syria in 2003, yet he refrained from engaging in the annual International Damascus Book Fair due to stringent regulations imposed by the country's security authorities and restrictions on numerous books during Bashar Assad’s administration.
At the first book fair in Damascus after Assad's presidency, which concluded on Monday, Saryoul expressed his astonishment when he received a permit on the same day he submitted his application, without inquiries regarding the content of his books. He noted that the diverse collection of titles at this year’s event was “unprecedented.”
Another publisher, Salah Sorakji, took pride in presenting Kurdish literature in the Syrian capital for the first time in several decades. Throughout the Assad regime, ethnic Kurds faced oppression, which included prohibitions on their language. The inaugural book fair following Assad's removal in December 2024 experienced significant attendance, with state media announcing that 250,000 individuals visited on the opening day, February 6, at a venue located approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) from downtown.
The event’s director, Ahmad Naasan, reported that around 500 publishing houses from roughly 35 nations participated. Though the newfound freedom of expression was largely embraced, the introduction of certain previously prohibited titles by Islamist authors caused apprehension among religious minorities.
Religious texts were among the top sellers during previous fairs in the predominantly Sunni Muslim nation. However, this year, works by the Islamic theologian Ibn Taymiyya — who resided in Damascus seven centuries ago and whose doctrines are adhered to by Sunni extremist groups — were sold openly at the fair after a long-standing ban.
The distribution of literature promoting radical ideology has raised concerns within Syria, where sectarian violence has resulted in the deaths of numerous Alawites and Druze over the last year due to assaults by pro-government Sunni militants. Assad, part of the Alawite religious minority, publicly endorsed a secular ideology. The Assad lineage executed severe crackdowns on the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist factions throughout their five-decade reign.
Only one book was reported banned this year — “Have You Heard the Talk of the Rafida?” — which contained audio messages from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida in Iraq leader killed by a U.S. strike in 2006. Iraq allegedly requested that Syrian officials prohibit it for inciting enmity against Shiite Muslims. An individual sporting a beard and dressed in military clothing, who referred to himself as Abu Obeida, acquired a version of Ibn Taymiyyah’s famous text “Al-Aqida Alwasitiyeh” or “The Core Principles of Islam.”
“This book was prohibited in Syria before liberation,” Abu Obeida remarked to The Associated Press, while at a stall selling religious books. “Anyone caught with such a book would be imprisoned.” “Now it is accessible, thank God,” he added, noting that previously people were limited to reading “what the state permitted.” The book fair made its inaugural appearance in Syria in 1985 but was suspended for multiple years following the onset of the civil conflict in March 2011.
Hala Bishbishi, who heads the Al-Hala publishing house based in Egypt, expressed her astonishment at the turnout, though she remarked that the book fair in Damascus is not yet on par with those taking place in the affluent Gulf nations.
She noted that shuttle buses operating between the fair and central Damascus increased the number of attendees. Atef Namous, a Syrian publisher who had resided outside the country for 45 years, mentioned that it was his first time taking part, as now any book can be sold at the fair, including those brought in from Western nations.
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