Amazon’s Digital Arabic Library may mark a turning point for digital books in the Arab world.

By Carlo Carrenho, Contributing Editor

In September 2025, at the opening of the Congress of Arabic and Creative Industries in Abu Dhabi, H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, announced a partnership with Amazon to create what was described as the world’s largest digital book library.

At the time, the announcement raised curiosity—and questions—but offered few concrete details. Even the panel discussion titled “Unlocking MENA’s Audiobook Potential,” held later that day and featuring Paulo Lemgruber of Audible, provided little additional clarity.

That changed last week. On January 15, Amazon formally confirmed the launch of its Digital Arabic Library in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center (ALC). Before examining its implications, however, some semantic clarification is necessary.

Despite the “library” label, the platform operates as a commercial digital storefront. Titles are sold, not lent—making it closer to an online marketplace than to a library in the traditional sense. In that regard, it more resembles a digital souk more than a public institution. Still, the scale is significant: the platform launches with 38,000 titles, including 33,000 eBooks and 5,000 audiobooks, alongside 1,000 free titles. Whatever the terminology, this represents a major digital milestone for Arabic publishing.

The initiative was driven by Abu Dhabi’s cultural authorities, with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center (ALC) playing a central role. Operating under the Department of Culture and Tourism, the ALC’s mandate includes the digitization of Arabic content and the strengthening of Arabic literature’s visibility on the global stage.

“Given the small percentage of Arabic content available online despite the large number of Arabic speakers, this initiative will play an important role in breaking down barriers, increasing access to Arabic literature, and strengthening awareness on the international stage,” said H.E. Dr. Ali bin Tamim, chairman of the ALC, in a statement.

A’ Pivotal’ Development

According to Amazon, over the next three years the ALC will collaborate with publishers across the Middle East and North Africa to expand the catalogue, while Amazon promotes these titles to its global customer base.

The business implications are as significant as the cultural ones. Over the past decade, the Arab world has seen multiple regional and local initiatives in eBooks and audiobooks. But despite strong ambition and clear market potential, few have achieved the scale or traction required to fully mobilize the publishing industry.

Among these efforts are Iqraaly, an Egyptian audiobook platform, and Abjjad, a Jordanian ebook subscription service founded in 2012. In the UAE, Rufoof has played a pioneering role as an ebookstore, and as a technology provider for regional retailers, including Jarir in Saudi Arabia.

Among global players, Storytel has been the most visible presence in the region, following its 2020 acquisition of the Arabic audiobook platform Kitab Sawti. The Swedish company invested heavily in rights acquisition and production, building a catalogue of approximately 7,000 titles. However, when Storytel narrowed its strategic focus to ten core markets, its local operations in Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were deprioritized, limiting further growth.

Against this backdrop, the arrival of Amazon—and Audible in particular—is a pivotal development, especially given the scale of its launch catalogue. Audible’s debut with 5,000 Arabic audiobooks is striking by any standard. To assemble such a catalogue in a short period, Audible sourced roughly half of the titles from Storytel. An additional 2,000 audiobooks came from Arabookverse, a digital distribution and services hub based in Egypt and the UAE, which also supplied approximately half of the ebooks available on Kindle.

The long-term potential for digital books in Arabic—across ebooks and audiobooks, à la carte and subscription models—is substantial. Structural challenges remain significant, but the entry of Amazon and Audible may act as the catalyst needed to accelerate adoption, strengthen publisher confidence, and expand readership. And in doing so, it could raise the tide for the entire ecosystem, including regional digital players.

It is also worth noting that Spotify began offering English-language audiobooks in Saudi Arabia and the UAE last November, further underscoring growing global interest in the region.

If successful, Amazon’s Digital Arabic Library may mark a turning point for digital books in the Arab world. Inshallah.