Al-Manhal Bakery and Books is a social-enterprise bakery, bookshop and lending library in the heart of the Old City of Damascus. Founded in 2026 with the support of dozens of people from around the world.
Our bakery uses ingredients sourced from across Syria, including locally grown wheat, to make artisanal baked goods inspired by the country’s diverse culinary traditions. Our library offers a carefully selected collection of high-quality books in Arabic and English, including many that are otherwise difficult or impossible to find in Syria, free of charge.
Our mixed and diverse team includes former detainees, people with disabilities, returning refugees and others who have faced barriers to employment.
What We Do
The Bakery
The Bakery
The Bakery
Inspired by Mavia Bakery in Beirut, founded by Brant, our bakery produces innovative baked goods that draw on tradition and uses locally sourced Syrian ingredients, including wheat. By working directly with Syrian farmers and millers, Al-Manhal challenges the understandable dominance of cheap imported wheat after years of isolation and wa
Inspired by Mavia Bakery in Beirut, founded by Brant, our bakery produces innovative baked goods that draw on tradition and uses locally sourced Syrian ingredients, including wheat. By working directly with Syrian farmers and millers, Al-Manhal challenges the understandable dominance of cheap imported wheat after years of isolation and war, and revive the use of local grain and traditional stone milling to produce exceptional baked goods that reflect Syria’s diverse regions and food cultures.
The Books
The Bakery
The Bakery
Al-Manhal’s lending library has over 500 titles, mostly in Arabic and English, focusing on Syria and the wider Middle East, as well as world literature, history, politics, philosophy, religion, art, and culture. We are particularly interested in books that help Syrians better understand their country and the wider world. All books are fre
Al-Manhal’s lending library has over 500 titles, mostly in Arabic and English, focusing on Syria and the wider Middle East, as well as world literature, history, politics, philosophy, religion, art, and culture. We are particularly interested in books that help Syrians better understand their country and the wider world. All books are free to borrow, against a fully refundable deposit, and some are available for sale at modest prices. We also welcome book donations, subject to prior review, as we work to make valuable books and knowledge accessible to everyone.
The Space
The Bakery
The Space
Al-Manhal will host author talks and book signings, reading groups and book clubs, cultural conversations and public discussions, baking and creative workshops, among other events. It is a place where ideas circulate freely, and where people can connect and share their collective passions and journeys of healing and growth. Our space is s
Al-Manhal will host author talks and book signings, reading groups and book clubs, cultural conversations and public discussions, baking and creative workshops, among other events. It is a place where ideas circulate freely, and where people can connect and share their collective passions and journeys of healing and growth. Our space is small and seating is limited, but this has had the positive effect of making chance encounters almost inevitable at the shop, which is part of our mission.
ABOUT THE CO-FOUNDERS
Asser Khattab is a French-Syrian writer and journalist who grew up between his two ancestral cities of Aleppo and Damascus and returned to Syria from exile following the fall of the Assad regime.
Brant Stewart is a baker and social entrepreneur from the United States who has worked with Syrians in Lebanon since 2013. Together, Asser and Brant are co-founding al-Manhal.
SUPPORT US
We are relying on the collective power of community to fund this social enterprise project. Please consider making a donation today.