Swalif Publishing House

09/01/2025

Have you gotten your copy of ‘Spaces that Remain’ yet? Visit www.swalif.store to place an order today!

Alongside our publication we are offering a tote bag of the featured neighborhood, breeze block key chains, and postcards of selected photography by

Images courtesy of

09/01/2025

04/12/2024

Join Us at Misk Art Week 2024 in Riyadh!

We are thrilled to announce our participation, once again, in the upcoming art book fair that is part of Art Week, taking place from Dec 5th to 10th, 2024, from 4:00-11:00PM.

Visit our booth to check out and purchase some of our publications and merch, as well as our latest release ‘Spaces that Remain’ with .nai 🌟

As usual, our booth will be featuring a selection of publications from our ‘Friends & Family’, including members from the Abu Dhabi-based collectives ( .343 ) and ( ) so do come by and check us out 🫂💟

27/11/2024

The ‘Spaces that Remain’ publication and bundle are officially out!!

After a soft-launch at and Focal Point, as well as our pre-order sale online, the full bundle is up on our website for purchase.

Included are our Exhibition Catalogues, Arabic Manuscripts, breeze block keychains, neighborhood tote bag, and postcards by Jalal!

Visit www.swalif.store to get your copies today!

Author: Rashed Almulla (.nai)
Photographer: Jalal Abuthina ()
Publisher: SWALIF Collective (.collective)
Managing Editor: Salem AlSuwaidi ()
Book Designer: Salman Dabwan ()
Copyeditor: Deena Rashid ()
Support Designer: Khaled Esguerra ()

23/11/2024

‘Spaces that Remain’ postcards borrow images from the publication and exhibition, showcasing photography by Jalal Abuthina’s () recent works on the now-vanished neighbourhoods of Shabiyyah Al-Shorta and Al-Defa’a, built in the late 1970s.

Purchase them now on the SWALIF website.

Jalal Abuthina, SWALIF, MABNAI ©️2024
- Talal Supermarket with Burj Khalifa under construction. (2007)
- Abdulsalam AlRafi Mosque juxtaposed to the Address Hotel and Burj Khalifa. (2012)
- Palm trees between the alleyways of Shaabiyah Al-Defaa’. (2012)
- Palm trees between the alleyways of Shaabiyah Al-Defaa’. (2012)
- A boy running towards Burj Khalifa, viewed from Shaabiyah Al-Defaa’. (2013)

Designed by: Khaled Esguerra ()

21/11/2024

As a celebration of the neighborhoods presented in the ‘Spaces That Remain’, we have designed a double-sided tote bag and breeze block key chains inspired by the infrastructure of the space.

Shabiyyat Al-Shorta and Al-Defa’a, built in the late 1970s, both feature on our exclusive STR tote through illustrated maps, while our breeze block keychains borrow from the architectural build and aesthetics of the neighborhood.

Purchase these today on the SWALIF website.

Designed by: Khaled Esguerra ()

19/11/2024

Nestled within the slips of the cover, we are proud and delighted to offer a fully translated Arabic manuscript of the text of ‘Spaces that Remain,’ as well as a catalogue of the exhibited artworks by Jalal Abuthina ().

Order your copies today through the SWALIF website!

Zines designed by and

18/11/2024

‘Spaces that Remain’ documents the rapid pace of Dubai’s development through the urban history of two cherished neighborhoods.

Click the link in our bio to order your copies through the SWALIF website today!

Produced by SWALIF x MABNAI, and supported by the UAE MCY National Grant (), this publication offers a sociological analysis of the neighborhood’s historical context and offers architectural insights into the build, while also archiving the twi exhibitions that took place of these photographs. City Walk Dubai has since replaced these neighbourhoods.

Author: Rashed Almulla (.nai)
Photographer: Jalal Abuthina ()
Publisher: SWALIF Collective (.collective)
Managing Editor: Salem AlSuwaidi ()
Book Designer: Salman Dabwan ()
Copyeditor: Deena Rashid ()
Support Designer: Khaled Esguerra ()

16/11/2024

We are thrilled to announce that the ‘Spaces That Remain’ publication is officially available for pre-order on our website!

Our latest book, produced by SWALIF x MABNAI, and supported by the UAE MCY National Grant (), offers a sociological analysis of the neighbourhoods of Shabiyyah Al-Shorta and Al-Defa’a, built in the late 1970s, now replaced by City Walk, while also documenting the exhibition presented at the Mosque of Reflection (2022) and (2023). The book will officially be released Nov 25th, 2024.

Author: Rashed Almulla (.nai)
Photographer: Jalal Abuthina ()
Publisher: SWALIF Publishing House (.collective)
Managing Editor: Salem AlSuwaidi ()
Book Designer: Salman Dabwan ()
Copyeditor: Deena Rashid ()
Support Designer: Khaled Esguerra ()

01/11/2024

Thank you to and for inviting us to participate in their inaugural art book fair ✨

The beautiful minds at have brought together a carefully crafted list of publishers and exhibitors from across the world.

SWALIF is pleased to have launched our first book with .nai at this fair, “Spaces that Remain”, which will soon be available internationally and across all platforms in the coming month, so stay tuned 🚨

We also feel privileged to have our Friends & Family with us at our participation this year! 💟

20/03/2024

Under the theme ‘After the Rain’ of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, we are happy to introduce “From the Ground Up”, an evening Suhoor Nights public program designed to spark dialogue around grassroots collective shaping the future of our creative and cultural landscapes.

Panelist will delve into the very foundations of their community-driven practices in the realms of literature, design, art, and curation, within the philosophy of bottom-up initiatives.

This series is a gesture asking practitioners to reconfigure the possibilities of collective creation and to contribute to a future where cultural and creative expressions are as diverse and innovative as the communities that inspire them.

28/12/2023

OPEN CALL: www.tinyurl.com/tdasform

The Disappearing Art Show: Volume 2 at Quoz Arts Fest (Jan 27 - 28)

- Artworks of all mediums, new and old, sold at a standardized price
- Encouraging an accessible and friendly art-collecting ecosystem
- Themes: Neighborhoods and Communities

Submission Deadline: Jan 10
Handover Deadline: Jan 17