In Diriyah, a bookshop looks to fill a gap in Arabic-language art publishing

RIYADH: Raw plywood shelves run from floor to ceiling, low tables hold stacks of new titles, and there is almost no branding. In a city where a venue’s decor can matter as much as what it sells, The Book Department keeps the focus on its shelves.

“The books should speak for themselves,” co-founder Mohammed Alruways told Arab News.

Alruways and Abdullah Kenani opened the independent shop’s permanent space in Diriyah’s JAX District on Nov. 2, stocking more than 1,000 titles on architecture, design and visual culture. They also plan to fund and publish Arabic-language books of their own.

The pair met in 2021 at Saudi artist Ahmed Mater’s studio and now run their own design practice, bytwo.