Dar Al Ain Publishing
A cultural institution established in 2000, dedicated to engaging with reality and its issues. Its constant ambition is to develop the book — in content, form, and interaction with its surroundings — simultaneously. In a complex cultural and social environment, where various ideologies and currents coexist and sometimes clash, Dar Al Ain seeks to maintain clarity of vision and depth of thought.
Dar Al Ain at the Frankfurt Exhibition
Al Ain Publishing House participated in the Frankfurt Book Fair, showcasing a wide selection of creative and intellectual works. Among the featured novels were The Silence of the Windmills by the late Youssef Abou Raya, Sonata for Tishreen by Osama Anwar Okasha, in addition to the Complete Short Stories by the late Yehia El-Taher Abdallah. The house also presented two distinguished academic titles: The Political Socialization of Sufi Orders in Egypt by Ammar Ali Hassan, winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Development and State Building, and In Critique of Contemporary Arab Discourse by Samir Amin, the renowned Marxist thinker and Ibn Rushd Prize laureate.
Dr. Fatma El-Boudy, Director of Al Ain Publishing House, also took part in the Publishers Training Program on Industry Development, held four days prior to the fair. The program annually hosts one publisher from each developing country. This year, Dr. El-Boudy represented the authors of Al Ain Publishing House as their literary agent, focusing on selling translation rights for both literary and non-literary works.
Among the other showcased titles were:
Beyond Paradise by Mansoura Ez-Eldin, shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Arabic Booker).
Pure Eternity by Allal Bourqia (Morocco).
Sons of Al-Gabalawi by Ibrahim Farghali.
Because Things Happen by Hatem Hafez.
The Widow Writes Letters in Secret by Tarek Imam.
Tales of the Other by Hossam Fakher.
The Seller of Joy by Sanaa Saleha, a short story collection.
Additionally, the publishing house presented several academic and cultural studies, including:
The Sacred and the Profane by Dr. Mohamed Helmy Abdel Wahab.
The Phenomenon of the New Preachers by Wael Lotfy.
Images from Contemporary Religious Discourse by Dr. Ahmed Zayed.
Women and the Folktale by Khaled Abu El-Leil.
Small NGOs Working in the Field of Women by Dr. Soham Abdel Salam.
Publisher Goals
Publishing is an enlightening act, and the House carries the lights of enlightenment to the reader. It also strives to overcome the challenges of book distribution and the difficulty of book circulation across Arab countries.
Dar Al Ain Publishing seeks to overcome these challenges by connecting the artistic value of the work with the freedom of its authors, supporting that with a high level of artistic and printing standards.
Publisher Values
- Championing freedom of expression and encouraging promising and serious writers.
- Respecting intellectual property rights.
- Fulfilling authors’ moral and material rights.
- Respecting the reader by ensuring that books are produced in an elegant and appealing form at the most affordable price possible.
- Establishing relationships with other publishing houses, where fair competition does not prevent opportunities for fruitful collaboration to advance Arab culture.
- A firm belief that printed books will continue to play a decisive role in spreading culture, while gradually and thoughtfully embracing electronic publishing alongside.
Dar Al Ain Cultural Salon
Dar Al Ain’s vision for publishing goes beyond the mere production of books. Since its founding, the publishing house has been committed to giving each writer and creator their unique distinction through genuine celebration—not just through book signings, but by organizing seminars that allow direct engagement between authors and their readers, as well as discussions with critics when the work calls for critical dialogue.
Thus, the Al Ain Cultural Salon has become an integral part of the publishing house’s identity.
The salon has hosted numerous distinguished figures, including the late Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih with his masterpiece Season of Migration to the North; Dr. Farouk El-Baz with his book The Development Corridor; the renowned scientific translator Dr. Mostafa Fahmy with works such as A Warning from a Scientist and Learning Science in the 21st Century; the late scholar Dr. Abdel Wahab El-Messiri; former Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Mohsen Al-Aini who discussed his memoir Echoes of Fifty Years in Shifting Sands; and the eminent thinker Samir Amin with his book Critique of Contemporary Arab Discourse, among others.
Dar Al Ain has also taken it upon itself to organize seminars and discussions for books and authors—even when their works are not published by the house—believing in the cultural mission of publishers to support knowledge, thought, and the arts.
Publisher Strategy
- Inviting distinguished authors known for the authenticity of their ideas and excellence in artistic and intellectual expression.
- Ensuring utmost precision in selecting content that meets the needs of the contemporary Arab reader and addresses the key questions of individual and societal development—while maintaining a strong connection between thought and reality.
- Focusing on scientific culture in its broadest sense, without neglecting other fields, to achieve intellectual integration between sciences and the arts.
- Confronting the phenomenon of information overload by emphasizing key concepts and core ideas rather than the quantity of information, especially after the internet opened the floodgates to massive data flows.
- Collaborating with publishers in Egypt and the Arab world, as well as translating pioneering works from international publishers—particularly those that foster dialogue among human civilizations.
Principles Dar Al Ain Believes In
- Establishing a new kind of relationship between the publisher and authors, where both parties become part of one family united by a shared cultural vision and a desire to revitalize and enrich the cultural scene.
- Encouraging readers to join this cultural family through a monthly literary salon that offers direct interaction between readers, authors, and critics to discuss the authors’ works.
- Maintaining an active presence on social media, particularly the publisher’s Facebook page, which serves as a bridge connecting the publishing house with its readership—and readers with their favorite writers.
Dar Al Ain publications that have been nominated for the World Booker Prize:
The Longing of the Dervish by Hammour Ziada
The Spider’s Room by Mohamed Abdel Nabi
No Knives in This City’s Kitchens by Khaled Khalifa
Oriental Dance by Khaled El Berry
The Fortress of Dust by Ahmed Abdel-Latif
Hot Maroc by Yassin Adnan
The Hunting Season of the Zangour by Ismail Ghazali
An Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge by Ezzedine Choukri Fishere
Beyond Paradise by Mansoura Ez-Eldin
In Praise of Hatred by Khaled Khalifa
Al Ain Publishing House won the “Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Publishing and Cultural Technologies” in 2023.
Al Ain Publishing House won the “Doha International Book Fair Award for Excellence in International Publishing” in 2025.
Al Ain Publishing House won the “Dr. Abdulaziz Mansour Award for Best Arab Publisher” for the short story collection “Burj Al-Hoot (The Pisces Tower)” in 2021.
