Iran’s lone bookstore in Kabul to reopen soon

TEHRAN,May 28(MNA) -- Iran’s lone bookstore in Kabul will reopen before the end of June. The bookstore, run by Iran’s Al-Hoda International Publications, had been closed to be renovated and redecorated, Al-Hoda announced in a press release on Sunday. Located at Haji Yaqub Intersection, the bookstore was established in 2003 under a license issued by Afghanistan’s Ministry for Commerce and Industries. A branch was also set up simultaneously in Kabul University. The bookstore was offering books by several other Iranian publications including SAMT Publications, which provides books for university students. The bookstore received orders from Afghan authors for publishing at the beginning of its activities. Iranian publishers are providing about 98 percent of the books in Afghanistan. However, before the bookstore was established in the country, second-hand Iranian books were mostly found at the markets in the country.