Called in today at the Sudan Bookshop in the hope of finding another outlet for my Arabic workbook. Although it was only just midday, I found that the shutters were already being pulled down and interior gloomy. The manager informed me that the shop will soon be permanently closed. 

Stepping into the bookshop is like going back in time. Amongst the dusty Christmas decorations are a 1965 annual reports of the Sudan Industrial Bank and a black and white manual showing boys how to wield a cricket bat. The lack of trade no doubt hindered the restocking of the shop some years/decades ago. Perhaps it also reflects a general decline in book culture within Khartoum.

It’s certainly a sad day to see a business started in 1902 finally going to the wall especially when there are so few good bookshops left in Khartoum.