Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin

Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin is a private Lebanese publishing house founded in 1945 in Beirut by Munir Baalbaki and Bahij Othman. It is considered one of the earliest publishing houses established in the Arab world. The company owns its own printing presses and employs a large staff, issuing more than four million books annually across many subjects, especially educational materials. It is also known for producing electronic intellectual media in Arabic and for its role in combating intellectual piracy. The publisher's catalogue spans dictionaries, encyclopedias, cookbooks, business management, linguistic works, school textbooks, literary, medical, philosophical and religious books, and children's books. Its most famous products are the Al-Mawrid dictionaries (English–Arabic and Arabic–English), which have achieved record sales, along with cookbooks such as "Alif Baa Al-Tabkh" and "Halawayat Al-Alam fi Baytik." Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin is a major and prominent participant in Arab and international book fairs; in 1999 it participated in 72 book fairs in 15 countries. It won the Sharjah Award as best Arab publishing house in 2007. In the field of electronic publishing, the company began focusing on electronic publishing technologies in 1990, including computer software, CD-ROMs, and communication services. It published the "Al-Mawrid Electronic" dictionary, the first Arabic electronic book, which was widely popular. It was the first publishing house to have a website in 1994. In 1998 it helped produce an electronic Arabic pocket dictionary in cooperation with Franklin. In 2012 it released four of its famous dictionaries electronically for iPhone and iPad, as well as four interactive animated children's stories with music and sound, and its famous Oriental cookbook in English for iPhone and iPad. In the area of school books and children's literature, Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin began its interest in school books, books for boys and girls, and children's books from its founding in 1945. It produced the first school book series in cooperation with a committee of teachers and educators, establishing a writing committee called the School Writing Committee. In 1947 it issued several other school books, including the National Education and Ethics series and the Al-Musawwar fi al-Tarikh series, which are still taught in Lebanese schools today after several revised editions. In 1960, together with its colleague Maktabat Antoine, it established a special publishing house for children's books called Dar Shahrazad, making it the first Arab publishing house specialized in children's books in the Arab world, and it has published about fifty series since then. In 1995 it founded a sister institution, DISTRI BOOKS, to import and distribute English books for students from kindergarten to baccalaureate. In 1998 it acquired major shares in a chain of commercial bookstores in many Arab cities. By 2011 it had published about 67 new titles, bringing its total publications to over 3,120 titles. The house remains committed to its mission of advancing the Arabic book in all aspects.

Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin was founded in 1945 in Beirut, Lebanon, by Munir Baalbaki and Bahij Othman. It is one of the earliest publishing houses established in the Arab world. From its founding, it took an interest in school books, books for boys and girls, and children's books. It produced the first school book series in cooperation with a committee of teachers and educators, establishing a writing committee called the School Writing Committee. In 1947 it issued several other school books, including the National Education and Ethics series and the Al-Musawwar fi al-Tarikh series, which are still taught in Lebanese schools today after several revised editions. In the 1960s, with growing interest in children's books and their educational role, Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin, in cooperation with its colleague Maktabat Antoine, established a special publishing house for children's books called Dar Shahrazad in 1960, making it the first Arab publishing house specialized in children's books in the Arab world. It has published about fifty series since then. It also published the "Al-Najihin" series for boys and girls, presenting the lives of elite heroes from East and West, in war and peace, men and women, ancient and modern, aimed at students aged 11 to 16, and the "Al-Maktaba Al-Alamiya" series for boys and girls. In the 1970s and 1980s, markets were in recession, and the number of children's books published by Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin at that time was very small. In the late 1990s, its publications reached 2,050 titles, many of which became bestsellers. It issued several dictionaries to help students at various educational stages, such as the Al-Mawrid Arabic–English and English–Arabic dictionaries, including Al-Mawrid Al-Saghir, Al-Mawrid Al-Qarib, Al-Mawrid Al-Muyassar, Al-Mawrid Al-Wasit, and Al-Mawrid Al-Muzdawij, which are very famous. In 1995 it founded a special department called DISTRI BOOKS, aimed at importing foreign books, especially specialized education books and children's books, for distribution in Lebanon through school fairs, public fairs, and the house's bookstores. In the late 1990s, noting the lack of interest by authors and publishers in children's books and their development, it began issuing a group of stories based on the real world of the child rather than fantasy, with the child as the hero, using the expertise of language specialists and educators for the same age group, focusing on developing correct grammatical sense and choosing appropriate sentences for children according to their ages and educational stages. It also relied on attractive images and colors that catch children's attention, and addressed realistic topics not previously treated in Arabic for children, such as death, divorce, and psychological and physical illnesses, relying on both local publishing and translation. In the field of electronic publishing, the company began focusing on electronic publishing technologies in 1990, including computer software, CD-ROMs, and communication services. It published the "Al-Mawrid Electronic" dictionary, the first Arabic electronic book, which was widely popular. It was the first publishing house to have a website in 1994. In 1998 it helped produce an electronic Arabic pocket dictionary in cooperation with Franklin. In 1993 it founded a sister institution to import and distribute English books for students from kindergarten to baccalaureate. In 1998 it acquired major shares in a chain of commercial bookstores in many Arab cities. In 1999 it participated in 72 book fairs in 15 countries. In 2007 it won the Sharjah Award as best Arab publishing house. By 2011 it had published about 67 new titles, bringing its total publications to over 3,120 titles. In 2012 it released four of its famous dictionaries electronically for iPhone and iPad, as well as four interactive animated children's stories with music and sound, and its famous Oriental cookbook in English for iPhone and iPad. The house remains committed to its mission of advancing the Arabic book in all aspects.

• 2012

  Released four famous dictionaries electronically for iPhone and iPad, plus interactive children's stories and an English cookbook app.

• 2011

  Published about 67 new titles, bringing total publications to over 3,120 titles.

• 2007

  Won the Sharjah Award as best Arab publishing house.

• 1999

  Participated in 72 book fairs in 15 countries.

• 1998

  Acquired major shares in a chain of commercial bookstores in many Arab cities; helped produce an electronic Arabic pocket dictionary with Franklin.

• 1995

  Founded DISTRI BOOKS department to import and distribute foreign books.

• 1994

  Became the first publishing house to have a website.

• 1993

  Founded a sister institution to import and distribute English books for students from kindergarten to baccalaureate.

• 1990

  Began focusing on electronic publishing technologies, including software and CD-ROMs.

• 1960

  Established Dar Shahrazad, the first Arab publishing house specialized in children's books, in cooperation with Maktabat Antoine.

• 1947

  Issued several school books, including the National Education and Ethics series and Al-Musawwar fi al-Tarikh series.

• 1945

  Founded in Beirut by Munir Baalbaki and Bahij Othman.

A pioneering Arab publishing house dedicated to advancing the Arabic book, with a strong focus on educational and reference works.

• Al-Mawrid English–Arabic Dictionary

  A highly popular English–Arabic dictionary with record sales.

• Al-Mawrid Arabic–English Dictionary

  A highly popular Arabic–English dictionary with record sales.

• Al-Mawrid Electronic Dictionary

  The first Arabic electronic book, widely popular.

• Alif Baa Al-Tabkh

  A famous cookbook with record sales.

• Halawayat Al-Alam fi Baytik

  A famous cookbook with record sales.

• National Education and Ethics series

  School book series still taught in Lebanese schools.

• Al-Musawwar fi al-Tarikh series

  School book series still taught in Lebanese schools.

• Al-Najihin series

  Books presenting the lives of elite heroes for ages 11–16.

• Al-Maktaba Al-Alamiya series

  Reading series for boys and girls aged 11–16.

1. 1Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2دار العلم للملايين - Wikipedia (Arabic)ar.wikipedia.org