Samira from Beirut

About Me I am a reflective wanderer who turns her encounters into stories to be told during her walking guided tours in Beirut. I am passionate about discovering hidden gems, attending art exhibitions, having oral history conversations about the recent history of Beirut, and discovering specialty coffee shops. Why Beirut? Beirut is the city that all the Arab countries have...

Apr 30, 2025

Barzakh Bookshop Beirut

Reclaiming Hamra's Identity

""Barzakh Bookshop" in Beirut is the ultimate definition of a hidden gem. It's a cultural melting pot of literary rebels from around the world..."

Barzakh Bookshop is the ultimate definition of a hidden gem, with its location right above the late Horseshoe Cafe where poets, authors, philosophers, and politicians used to sit out there on its sidewalk. Nowadays, the building that hosts Barzakh is not to be missed - it's the same one that has the huge famous drawing of Eternal Sabah on Hamra Street.

Barzakh Bookshop started as a space that hosts film screenings, music salons, poetry readings, and much more events. Not to mention that they have thousands of books that are archived and the staff are working carefully to select a lot of books for sale at affordable prices, when all other bookshops are selling books for much higher prices with the current economic crisis happening in Lebanon.

Barzakh opened as a coffeeshop in late 2021 and their space screams for advocating literacy and as a safe space for the ones that used to walk on Hamra street from thinkers, poets, authors, cinematographers, and artists of all kinds...

As the owner Abdullah puts it, Barzakh's trying to reclaim that identity. Personally speaking, its absence was felt. Now it's the melting pot of those who knew Hamra as the space that embraces Arabs and Non-Arabs, Iraqi authors and others, and people considered opponents of the state and rebels in their own countries. Barzakh is there to welcome their ideologies.

I personally love their ambiance full of plants, books, antique furniture, and a welcoming literary community!

Art & culture

Coffee & tea

About this spot

Barzakh

Hot chocolate:

LBP

30000

Website

Social

Find your way with 179 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters

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