Atlas Books was established as one of the first libraries in the city of Damascus and soon became an independent publishing house in Syria. The house is considered a family heritage, as it was founded by a Palestinian refugee in Syria in 1956 and is currently managed by the second generation of the family. Atlas Books respects, supports, and defends diversity in the publishing world, as it believes in the need to create equal opportunities for all types of books in terms of presentation and promotion, and this is what it seeks to achieve through its publishing programs.
Atlas has also been an active member of the Arabic-language network in the International Association of Independent Publishers since 2009. The publishing policy of Atlas Books is characterized by its bibliographic diversity, as it focuses on translations, modern literature, targeting especially younger and emerging groups, and various literary forms, in addition to the literature that integrates artistic expression.
Atlas Books was reopened after an absence of more than 10 years. This relaunch took place in March 2022 at the “Books and Fabrics” book fair in Damascus. The book fair included various cultural activities, from literary readings to book signing, as well as open sessions and public discussions on the topic of intangible cultural heritage in Syria.