Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHamad Bin Khalifa University Press is a Doha-based publishing house focused on Arabic and English books, scholarly communication, translation, and literature connected with Qatar and the wider Arab and Gulf region.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, commonly known as HBKU Press, is a publishing house based in Doha, Qatar. It was established in October 2008 as Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, or BQFP, through a partnership between Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Foundation. The venture was described as Qatar’s first publishing house and initially combined Bloomsbury’s international publishing experience with Qatar Foundation’s cultural and educational ambitions. After the partnership ended in December 2015, the operation transitioned to its current identity as Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press and became part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, which itself belongs to the wider Qatar Foundation community. The press publishes for both international readers and the broader Arab world. Its list spans fiction, literary and general non-fiction, young-adult and children’s books, educational works, translations, and academic titles. A central feature of its positioning is the development and circulation of writing connected with Qatar, the Persian Gulf, and the wider Middle East. The press has sought to provide space for Qatari authors and local perspectives, including through works such as Qatari Voices, an essay collection by young Qataris. Its non-fiction program also addresses Gulf history, women’s history, social issues, journalism, politics, urban development, sustainability, and the region’s changing relationship with digital media. HBKU Press has an important scholarly and open-access dimension. Its QScience.com platform publishes peer-reviewed research and has hosted journals covering subjects such as information studies and technology, law and anti-corruption, medicine, emergency medicine, trauma and acute care, and multidisciplinary research. QScience was launched in December 2010 with the stated aim of making research more accessible and understandable beyond specialist academic audiences. The platform recorded 980 online research papers in 2013, with health-related papers accounting for 23 percent of that output according to the reference material. Translation is another defining part of the press’s work. HBKU Press has translated between Arabic and English and has expanded into languages including Turkish, Chinese, Malayalam, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Catalan, and Russian. Its original Arabic and English works have also been translated into Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Persian, and Norwegian. The catalogue has included Arabic editions of major international authors, including the complete works of Kazuo Ishiguro and Khaled Hosseini, as well as literary translation projects associated with Qatar’s cultural-exchange initiatives. In 2018, during Qatar’s Year of Culture with Russia, the press translated selected short stories and novels by Alexander Pushkin into Arabic. The organization also undertakes commissioned publishing for Qatari institutions and regional clients. Projects associated with Msheireb Downtown Doha included Gulf Sustainable Urbanism, developed with Harvard University. HBKU Press maintains visibility through the Doha International Book Fair and international events such as the London, Paris, Frankfurt, New Delhi, Amman, Kuwait, Beirut, and Muscat book fairs. Recognition for its authors, translators, illustrators, and titles includes the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize, Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, International Book Awards, and Best Book Awards. Its overall role combines commercial and cultural publishing with academic dissemination, translation, and the international promotion of Qatari and Arab voices.
History
HBKU Press traces its origins to October 2008, when Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Foundation created Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing in Doha. The partnership established what was described as Qatar’s first publishing house. The new press was designed to bring together an international publishing partner and a Qatari institution with interests in education, culture, research, and community development. From the beginning, its remit extended beyond a conventional local trade list: it aimed to publish books for Qatar, the Arab world, and international audiences while supporting the development of a modern publishing infrastructure in the country. During its BQFP period, the press developed a broad program covering fiction, non-fiction, children’s and young-adult books, academic works, and translations. Its editorial focus gave particular attention to Qatari and Gulf voices. Qatari Voices, a collection of essays by young Qataris, represented the effort to document local experiences and encourage new national authors. The non-fiction list likewise addressed subjects with a strong regional connection, including Gulf history, Muslim women’s history, Qatari journalism, environmental education, and social and political change. A major stage in the organization’s development came in December 2010 with the launch of QScience.com. The platform provided peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly publishing and hosted journals in areas including information studies and technology, rule of law and anti-corruption, medicine, emergency medicine, trauma and acute care, and multidisciplinary research. Its stated purpose was not only to distribute research electronically but also to make specialized knowledge more accessible to the public. The platform’s reported 2013 output was 980 online research papers, 23 percent of them relating to health. The original publishing partnership ended in December 2015. The operation then transitioned from Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing into Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, becoming associated with Hamad Bin Khalifa University within the Qatar Foundation system. The change preserved the press’s emphasis on books, research, translation, and regional perspectives while placing it more directly within Qatar’s university and knowledge-production environment. Under the HBKU Press name, translation became an increasingly visible part of the publishing mandate. The press continued to work between Arabic and English while adding translations involving Turkish, Chinese, Malayalam, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Catalan, and Russian. It also supported the movement of Arabic and English works into languages such as Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Persian, and Norwegian. Its translation catalogue included Arabic editions of the complete works of Kazuo Ishiguro and Khaled Hosseini. In cooperation with Qatar’s cultural-exchange initiatives, the press participated in activities connected with the Year of Culture program; in 2018, the Russia-focused program included Arabic translations of works by Alexander Pushkin. HBKU Press has also published books responding to current regional debates. The 2018 collection The Gulf Crisis: The View from Qatar, edited by Rory Miller, brought together contributions from Doha-based scholars on the consequences of the 2017 blockade by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. Other works explored Gulf women, digital journalism in Qatar, sustainable urbanism, and the natural environment of the Arabian Peninsula. Children’s and educational publishing included Qatar Nature Explorer and series designed to teach vocabulary and concepts related to Arab Gulf cultures and local environments. Alongside books and journals, the press undertakes commissioned publishing for institutions and cultural clients. Projects for Msheireb Downtown Doha included Gulf Sustainable Urbanism, produced with Harvard University. The press has maintained a presence at the Doha International Book Fair since its inception and has participated in major international book fairs in Europe, Asia, and the Arab world. Awards received by its publications, authors, translators, and illustrators during the 2010s further established its profile in literary translation, multicultural fiction, children’s publishing, educational books, and regional non-fiction. Its documented role is therefore both commercial and cultural: it publishes books and scholarship while helping Qatar and the wider Gulf participate in international literary, academic, and translation networks.
- 2019
Multiple titles received international awards
[1]HBKU Press titles received recognition in international, children’s, multicultural fiction, home and garden, and translation award programs.
- 2018
The Gulf Crisis: The View from Qatar published
[1]The press published an edited scholarly collection addressing the effects of the Qatar blockade and its regional consequences.
- 2018
Pushkin translations released for Qatar–Russia cultural exchange
[1]HBKU Press translated selected Pushkin short stories and novels from Russian into Arabic during Qatar’s Russia-focused Year of Culture activities.
- 2016
The Bamboo Stalk translation received the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize
[1]HBKU Press’s English translation of Saud Alsanousi’s The Bamboo Stalk, translated by Jonathan Wright, won the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.
- 2015
Transition to Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press
[1]Following the end of the Bloomsbury and Qatar Foundation partnership, BQFP transitioned into HBKU Press.
- 2010
QScience launched
[1]The press introduced QScience.com, a peer-reviewed open-access platform for specialized and multidisciplinary scholarly journals.
- 2008
Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing established
[1]Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Foundation founded a Doha-based publishing partnership operating as Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing.
Products and positioning
A Qatar-based, internationally oriented academic and trade publisher that connects Qatari and Gulf perspectives with Arab and global readerships through books, translations, open-access scholarship, and institutional publishing.
Open-access scholarly publishing · 2010
QScience.com
QScience.com is HBKU Press’s online, peer-reviewed open-access scholarly platform. It has hosted journals addressing information studies and technology, rule of law and anti-corruption, medicine, emergency medicine, trauma and acute care, and multidisciplinary research. The platform was created to distribute research electronically and make academic findings more accessible to non-specialist audiences as well as researchers.
Literary translation
Arabic and English translation program
Translation is a core part of HBKU Press’s publishing program. The press translates works into Arabic from English and a wide range of other languages, including Turkish, Chinese, Malayalam, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Catalan, and Russian. It also supports the translation of Arabic and English works into languages such as Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Persian, and Norwegian.
Fiction and literary non-fiction · 2008
Qatari and Gulf literature
This publishing area highlights Qatari writers, Gulf perspectives, and wider Arab literary voices. It includes fiction, essays, literary criticism, and works that engage with the social and cultural experience of the Persian Gulf. Qatari Voices, an essay collection by young Qataris, is an example of the press’s effort to support local narratives.
Children’s books and education
Children’s and educational publishing
HBKU Press publishes children’s fiction, educational works, and books designed around the cultural and environmental context of the Arab Gulf. Examples include Qatar Nature Explorer and pre-reading series about local vocabulary, environments, and life cycles, including Silsilat Min Beati and Silsilat Rehlat Hayat.
Academic and general non-fiction
Academic and regional non-fiction
The press publishes academic and general non-fiction on Gulf and Arab history, women’s history, politics, social issues, journalism, sustainability, and the natural environment. Titles such as Gulf Women, The Qatari Press in the Digital Age, and The Gulf Crisis: The View from Qatar connect scholarly research with regional perspectives and public discussion.
Commissioned publishing
Commissioned institutional books
HBKU Press produces commissioned books for Qatari institutions, cultural organizations, and regional clients. These projects can document architecture, urban development, sustainability, heritage, or other subjects of public and institutional interest. Its work for Msheireb Downtown Doha included Gulf Sustainable Urbanism, a project developed with Harvard University.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Qatar Year of Culture: Russia
Qatar · Russia · Arabic-language markets
HBKU Press aligned with Qatar’s Ministry of Culture and Sports Year of Culture initiative by participating in publishing and translation exchanges with the selected partner country, Russia.
Outcome. The press translated selected works by Alexander Pushkin from Russian into Arabic and developed publishing links connected with the cultural exchange.
- 2010Annual Translation Conference
Qatar
During its BQFP period, the press participated in the Annual Translation Conference, with the first event held in May 2010 in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. The conference supported discussion of literary translation and cross-cultural publishing.
Outcome. The initiative strengthened the press’s cultural and translation role in Qatar.
- International book-fair participation
Qatar · United Kingdom · France · Germany · India · Jordan · Kuwait · Lebanon
The press has participated in the Doha International Book Fair since its inception and has also appeared at major international and Arab book fairs, including events in London, Paris, Frankfurt, New Delhi, Amman, Kuwait, Beirut, and Muscat.
Outcome. These appearances support rights, distribution, author, and institutional visibility for the press’s catalogue.
Brand decisions
2018
Publication of The Gulf Crisis: The View from QatarProduct launchBackground
The 2017 blockade of Qatar created a major political, economic, social, diplomatic, and media issue for the country and the Gulf region.
Action taken
HBKU Press published an edited collection by Rory Miller featuring contributions from fifteen Doha-based scholars.
Aftermath
The book documented Qatar-based academic perspectives on the crisis and its regional and international implications.
2015
Transition from BQFP to HBKU PressStrategyBackground
The publishing partnership between Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015 after operating under the Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing name since 2008.
Action taken
The operation adopted the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press identity and became associated with Hamad Bin Khalifa University within the Qatar Foundation system.
Aftermath
The press continued publishing trade, academic, children’s, commissioned, and translated works while operating more directly within Qatar’s university and research ecosystem.
2010
Launch of QScience.comProduct launchBackground
The press sought to develop scholarly communication infrastructure and make specialized research more accessible through online distribution.
Action taken
It launched QScience.com as a peer-reviewed, open-access platform for specialized and multidisciplinary journals.
Aftermath
The platform became a significant academic publishing component of the organization, with reported output of 980 online research papers in 2013.
Recent events
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