Al-Manhal is a social-enterprise bookstore and bakery opening in the heart of the Old City of Damascus, on the famed Straight Street, as Syria begins a long-awaited new chapter after more than five decades of brutal totalitarianism and 14 years of devastating conflict.
Al-Manhal will offer a carefully curated selection of books, made accessible and affordable to Syrians; artisanal baked goods made from local grains and agricultural products; and meaningful cultural events that promote unity and social cohesion, celebrate diversity, and contribute to post-conflict healing and reconciliation.
In Arabic, Al-Manhal means The Fount—a place to which one comes to quench their thirst for ideas and nourishment.
Al-Manhal during the final stages of renovation in February 2026
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 fallow 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.
What We Will Do
The Bakery
The Community Space
The Bookshop
Inspired by Mavia Bakery in Beirut, founded by Brant, our bakery will produce traditional and innovative baked goods using organic, locally sourced Syrian grains and ingredients.
By working directly with Syrian farmers and millers, Al-Manhal will challenge the dominance of cheap imported wheat and revive the use of local grain and traditio
Inspired by Mavia Bakery in Beirut, founded by Brant, our bakery will produce traditional and innovative baked goods using organic, locally sourced Syrian grains and ingredients.
By working directly with Syrian farmers and millers, Al-Manhal will challenge the dominance of cheap imported wheat 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 Bookshop
The Community Space
The Bookshop
Al-Manhal will be the first bookstore in postwar Syria to offer an affordable curated selection of books directly relevant to Syrians at this pivotal moment in their history. By sourcing donated and carefully selected collections, we make essential knowledge accessible to allBooks will be sold at affordable prices, mindful of Syria’s ongo
Al-Manhal will be the first bookstore in postwar Syria to offer an affordable curated selection of books directly relevant to Syrians at this pivotal moment in their history. By sourcing donated and carefully selected collections, we make essential knowledge accessible to allBooks will be sold at affordable prices, mindful of Syria’s ongoing economic crisis, with the option to read in-house or rent for a modest fee.
The Community Space
The Community Space
The Community 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 will be a place where ideas circulate freely, and where people can connect and share their collective passions and journeys of healing and growth.
The Space
Al-Manhal is located on Straight Street in the heart of the Old City of Damascus, a historic thoroughfare mentioned by name in the Bible and long a place of passage, encounter, and exchange. The project is intentionally rooted in this context and developed in close collaboration with the local community, with the aim of welcoming everyone. The space lies near where Asser’s family is originally from and where he lived during his university years, and where Brant now lives part time. Al-Manhal does not seek to transform the Old City, but to work within it—drawing on its history, learning from its people, and supporting careful, locally grounded renewal.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR
- Raised over $65,000 online and through fundraisers in London, Paris, Copenhagen, New York, and Los Angeles.
- Rented and fully renovated a 75m² space on the historic Straight Street in Old Damascus.
- Launched our Instagram: @almanhaldamascus.
- Collected over 200 valuable books of fiction and nonfiction, used and new, in Arabic and English.
- Purchased the equipment needed for the bakery.
- Launched our monthly newsletter.
WHAT COMES NEXT
- Raise $20,000 to buy furniture, expand our stock of books, sustain a supply chain of local products, and cover employees' salaries and running costs.
- Hold more fundraisers in Europe.
- Identify and hire employees with a focus on empowering vulnerable individuals such as former detainees or single mothers.
- Obtain the license to run a bakery in the space.
- Develop a cohesive visual identity and strengthen our digital presence
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. Books are expensive, especially for a population that is just emerging from 14 years of war in a country still reeling from the effects of years of crippling economic sanctions. To learn more about the kinds of books we are interested in, and how you can donate, please reach out to almanhaldamascus@gmail.com.
- Donate artworks and other things we can sell. Whether at al-Manhal itself or at one of our fundraisers, we would love to be able to sell an artwork or something that you have made or that you would be happy to donate, in order to invest the money we make from it in Al-Manhal.
- Donate your time. Are you a talented graphic designer who can volunteer to help us with our branding or merch design? Are you a musician or performer who would consider playing for free to support al-Manhal at one of our fundraisers? Anyone’s services will be deeply appreciated, please contact us.