Join us on the 10 December for the Arab British Centre Open Evening, a festive opportunity to buy some gifts, get your holiday reading sorted, and explore all that the Arab British Centre has to offer in 2019.

With stalls from Palestinian fair trade food organisation Zaytoun and contemporary calligrapher Joumana Medlej, you can bring the flavours and artistry of the Arab world to your friends this Christmas. Zaytoun’s mouth-watering dates, zesty za’atar and rich olive oil all hail from Palestinian farmers, and will be sold at a special, below RRP rate; and Joumana Medlej’s striking art pieces, prints, and handmade cards and stationery will also be available to buy.

The Banipal Arab British Centre Library of Modern Arab Literature (aka BALMAL) will also be open for borrowing. The Banipal team will be there to discuss their work promoting Arab literature in English with the Library, the magazine, the Book Club and the Saif Ghobash Banipal Translation Prize, and can answer any questions new or existing library members may have. With over 2000 titles in genres including fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and poetry, the BALMAL is a fantastic resource for lovers of literature, and for only £10 you can be a member for life and borrow books for free.

The Arab British Centre team will also be on hand to discuss our 2019 cultural programme and courses. If you or a friend is interested in learning Arabic language, contemporary calligraphy, art history, or musical instruments like the oud and darbuka next year, then come and have a chat with us!

Entry to the Open Evening is free, but please bring cash for any purchases and for a drink.

We hope to see you on the 10 at our premises at 1 Gough Square, EC4A 3DE. Directions can be found here.