ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), and Amazon have launched the dedicated Digital Arabic Library storefront on Amazon.
The initiative makes more than 38,000 Arabic-language titles accessible, including over 1,000 available at no cost, to millions of readers worldwide, addressing a critical gap in the availability of digital Arabic content.
The Digital Arabic Library reflects the depth and creativity of Arabic culture and storytelling, featuring a growing collection of Arabic books in Kindle eBook and Audible audiobook formats across a wide range of genres, including history, science, health, memoirs, fiction, and non-fiction.
Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, said, “We at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre have been harnessing and leveraging our expertise in the publishing industry to enhance the presence of Arabic content in the global digital space. This project will provide new and innovative channels to facilitate access to Arabic cultural content for readers wherever they may be. Given the small percentage of Arabic content available online despite the large number of Arabic speakers, this initiative will play an important role in breaking down barriers, increasing access to Arabic literature, and strengthening awareness on the international stage.”
Drawing on decades of technology leadership and experience connecting readers with books, Amazon has deployed Amazon Ads solutions and AWS cloud services to support the Digital Arabic Library’s customer experience.
The storefront features vibrant colours and traditional Arabic calligraphy celebrating the region’s rich cultural heritage, and includes customer ratings and reviews to make it easier to discover more than 33,000 Kindle eBooks and 5,000 audiobooks.
The collection, complete with customer ratings and reviews, includes contemporary works and established classics, including a selection available for free, such as The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Days by Taha Hussein, Night Mail by Huda Barakat, Cairo Modern by Naguib Mahfouz, The Blue Elephant by Ahmed Mourad, and The Lost Star by Sara Al Shamsi.
Vice President, Amazon Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Ronaldo Mouchawar, said, “We are proud to have collaborated with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre to bring this meaningful initiative to life, making Arabic content accessible to millions of Arabic speakers worldwide. The Digital Arabic Library delivers a seamless experience where customers can easily discover thousands of Arabic Kindle eBooks and Audible audiobooks across different genres in one place. We are celebrating the richness of Arabic culture, while supporting local publishers and authors in the region, as we connect Arabic speakers worldwide with content that matters to them, their culture, and heritage."
The Digital Arabic Library supports publishers across the region in adapting to the evolving digital publishing landscape. With ALC’s publishing expertise and cultural mandate, Amazon Ads solutions and AWS cloud infrastructure, the initiative enhances discoverability and broadens access to Arabic intellectual and creative heritage.
As the fastest-growing format in publishing, audiobook inclusion from Audible’s catalogue offers Arabic-speaking listeners a choice as to the method of consumption for many bestseller and classic titles.
More than a digital library, this initiative is a movement to connect cultures, preserve heritage, and inspire the next generation of readers, affirming ALC’s mission to make the Arabic language a vibrant and future-ready medium for creativity, learning, and cross-cultural dialogue.
The initiative is a major milestone in ALC’s mission to enhance the digitisation of Arabic books and to support the growth of the Arabic publishing industry through the promotion of Arabic readership globally.
With more than 400 million Arabic speakers worldwide, the project will reach a vast, underserved audience across the region and the global diaspora, including younger generations of readers, who are often overlooked.
Over the next three years, ALC will work with publishers across the Middle East and North Africa to expand the collection, with Amazon widely promoting these titles to ensure visibility to millions of potential readers worldwide.
ALC’s operating agency, Arabookverse, will manage book intake, digitisation, and global distribution.
The Digital Arabic Library is available at www.amazon.com/digitalarabiclibrary