With nearly two-million Syrian refugees in Turkey, 300,000 of which in Istanbul, the Arab population is growing significantly there. In an attempt to create a meeting space between Arabs and Turks, “Pages” opened last June.
Pages is the first Arabic bookstore in Istanbul, run by six Syrians, one Omani, and a Turk. Samer Al Kadri, the founder of the bookshop, was a graphic artist and an owner of a publishing house before leaving Syria. After living in Jordan for a year, Al Kadri’s family moved to Turkey. With hopes of return to Syria, he is planning to start a bilingual publishing house to break the language barrier between Arabs and Turks and connect them culturally.
Read more about Pages on Qantara.de and find them on Facebook.
Finding common grounds with new cultures is a great way for Arabs to adapt to living abroad. Do you know of any other cultural contributions of Arabs in other countries?
Let us know!
