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 offers a curated selection of quality books about Syria and the world which are relevant to local readers at this pivotal moment in their country's history. We aim to make essential knowledge accessible to all Syrians. Members of our community can borrow books against a deposit that would be returned in full upon return of the
Al-Manhal offers a curated selection of quality books about Syria and the world which are relevant to local readers at this pivotal moment in their country's history. We aim to make essential knowledge accessible to all Syrians. Members of our community can borrow books against a deposit that would be returned in full upon return of the book. Some books are available for sale at a very modest second-hand price.
The Space
The Bakery
The Space
Al-Manhal hosts 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.
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.
How you can help:
- Donate money. This project will not see the light without your donations. Your support will allow us to open a community space that Syrians need and deserve. Consider making a donation today.
- Donate books. If you are coming to Syria soon and would like to gift us a book, please feel free to pick one from our English or Arabic wish lists.