More than 6,500 books (2024),
more than 30 categories,
more than 10,000,000 listeners.
The ArabCast library is a social initiative providing visually impaired Arab speakers of all ages, all over the world, access to literature, information, and education.
The library was established in 2010 as the life dream of the founder and director of the AlManarah Association, Abbass Abbass, himself a visually impaired person. Abbass managed to advance in life and academic education thanks to the American Library of Audiobooks.
After establishing the AlManarah Association for the Advancement of People with Disabilities he realized the acute shortage of audiobooks in the Arabic language and made it a mission of life to correct that deficiency.
In the year 2010, Abbass’s vision came true with the establishment of the ArabCast Library serving visually impaired people of all ages free of charge. The library contains audiobooks covering many genres including classical literature, Children’s books, schoolbooks, self-development books, general information, and more.
As of 2023, the library contains more than 6,000 books and continues to grow at a fast pace. Audiobooks are produced in AlManarah’s recording studios in Nazareth and in other Arab countries by professional narrators. Books are accessible through the ArabCast website and smartphone applications.
The ArabCast library received international recognition in both the Arab world and beyond. In May 2017, Sheikh Mohammed Ben Rashid Al Maktoum, Governor of Dubai, gave the ArabCast library a prestigious award, recognizing it as the best initiative contributing to the advancement of the Arabic language and the building of a knowledgeable Arabic community.
In February 2018, at the International Conference held at the United Nations Residence in Vienna, the ArabCast library won the Zero Project Award as an outstanding program facilitating access to information for people with disabilities.