In the city once celebrated as Afghanistan’s cultural capital, Herat’s vibrant literary scene is fading into silence. Bookstores that once attracted scholars, students, and poetry enthusiasts now stand nearly empty, with shelves no longer stocked for readers but for buyers who purchase books by weight — not to read, but to recycle into cardboard.
“I used to stock books with pride,” said Hamidullah, a bookseller who has worked in Herat’s Gawdan Alley for over 20 years, speaking under a pseudonym. “Now I sell them by the kilo to packaging factories. There are no readers anymore — only recyclers.”
A City of Silence
The decline of Herat’s book market is not merely a result of economic hardship. Local booksellers attribute their struggles equally to censorship and poverty. Since the Taliban regained control nearly four years ago, the group has imposed strict controls on literature, banning hundreds of titles they consider incompatible with their interpretation of Islam and Afghan cultural norms.
By mid-2022, a Taliban-appointed commission had compiled a list of at least 400 prohibited books, allowing only a handful — about 10 titles — to remain in circulation strictly for “research purposes.” This blacklist was distributed not only to bookstores but also to universities and educational institutions. Publishers estimate the number of banned titles is far greater.
“At first, the Taliban warned us against selling ‘suspicious books,’ mainly those related to them,” recalled a bookseller who attended a post-takeover meeting at an intelligence office in Kabul. “They didn’t even know which titles exactly.”
Over time, enforcement intensified. Taliban inspectors have conducted raids on libraries and bookstores in Herat and Kabul, confiscating books across diverse genres, including modern philosophy, women’s literature, progressive religious works, and social sciences. In March 2023, the Ministry of Information and Culture issued a formal decree mandating that only books reflecting “Islamic values and Afghan traditions” could be published or sold. The directive was reaffirmed earlier this year.
Empty Shelves and Fading Words
The decline extends beyond banned books. Visual displays of literary culture have also disappeared. Shop windows and interiors that once featured colorful book covers, author portraits, and literary quotes are now stripped bare.
“I’ve removed every image,” Hamidullah said. “They said pictures are haram — even book covers.”
This silence within bookstores reflects a broader retreat from public intellectual life. Sher Mohammad, a university student and former avid reader, said he now visits bookstores rarely. “I used to buy a new book every month,” he said. “Now it’s a choice between bread and books. Bread always wins.”
Seventeen-year-old Shabnam, a former high school student barred from school under Taliban policies, said fiction novels remain her only escape. “I read stories so I don’t think about my old dreams,” she shared.
Limited Relief Ahead
International aid efforts offer some hope. UNICEF, together with the Islamic Development Bank and the Saudi Fund for Development, has launched a $2.75 million initiative to rebuild eight schools in Herat and nearby Badghis province, aiming to benefit roughly 4,000 children.
However, such projects provide limited support to Herat’s literary institutions, many of which are closing permanently. Books that once fueled minds and inspired hope now serve only to feed recycling machines.
“We didn’t just sell books — we sold hope,” Hamidullah reflected, standing near a faded wall motto once painted by his shop: “A nation that does not read books is destined to repeat history.”
Now that wall is bare. And in Herat, a city that once shaped Afghanistan’s cultural narrative, fewer pages remain to be turned.
