Educational Co-operative Bookshop

The Educational Co-operative Bookshop is one of the oldest commercial bookstores in the Eastern Province. Located in al-Ahsa Governorate, it was established by Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Mulla. He was keenly interested in heritage, literature, culture, and knowledge books, which led him to found the first private commercial bookshop in 1984.

Abdullah al-Mullah had a small shop in the historical al-Qaisariyyah Market, selling perfumes, incense, prayer and religious invocation books, notebooks, pens, and school supplies. After he left his teaching position at the Amiriyyah School, his colleagues suggested that he expand his business and advised him to take a more extensive shop and transform it into a bookshop. They promised to support his project with financial contributions according to their abilities. He agreed and began the bookshop project.

After three years, his colleagues withdrew from the project, feeling it was unprofitable. In 1948, Abdullah al-Mulla bought their shares in the bookshop, marking the actual establishment of the bookshop under its current name. His son, Jamal, developed the project by consolidating the two sections of the bookshop (books and stationery) into one large building next to their house in the historic al-Koot District.

The Educational Co-operative Bookshop imported books and school supplies from Arab countries such as Egypt and Lebanon and from outside the Arab world, including India and Britain. It also printed and published several books, such as a book by the poet Ibn al-Mugrab al-Uyuni and Tarikh Hajr book ( History of Hajr) by historian Abdulrahman al-Mulla. The bookshop also housed foundational books, as well as university, scientific, and literary references.

The Educational Co-operative Bookshop contributed to shaping the intellectual and cultural awareness of many pioneers, including Hamad al-Jasser, Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Ismail, historian Abdulrahman Othman al-Mulla, historian Jawad al-Ramadan, Rashid Al Mubarak, Abdulmohsen al-Manqour, Abdullah al-Baz, Abdullah Buhania, Ibrahim al-Husseini, and others.