Seated at the wooden tables at the ‘Pages’ bookstore, Syrian children are able to set aside the suffering brought by war and exile for a few hours. The bookstore is the first Arab bookstore in Istanbul and was opened by a Syrian publisher who fled Damascus in 2013. ''We thought of helping our community before asking others for help, and show that Syria and its culture can survive in spite of everything,'' Samer Alkadri told ANSAmed.

Books are in Arabic as well as Turkish and English. And there are labs in drawing and reading for children while adults can enjoy musical events with Arab traditional instruments and film screenings. Other activities include Arabic calligraphy courses and theater performances.

Cultural needs

''Physical needs are not the only ones that need satisfaction. There are also cultural ones without which it is impossible to live. We try to create a bridge between Turkey and Syria, without knowing if and when we will be able to return there," explained Gulnar Hajo, an award-winning Syrian illustrator for children’s books who runs the project with Alkadri.

Before the war, Alkadri managed an ad agency and a publishing house in Syria. In 2013 he fled because he was wanted by Bashar al Assad's police and found shelter first in Jordan and then Turkey. He realized that apart from the urgent need for daily necessities like food and medicine, Syrians risked losing touch with their culture. Together with Gulnar Hajo he rented a small wooden building that was soon turned into a cultural center - a meeting place for local Syrian refugee community.

Three million Syrians live in Turkey

The agreement forged a year ago between Ankara and EU countries has closed Turkish borders to migrants and refugees, cutting down the number of those fleeing daily to the Greek islands to in the dozens. But meanwhile, the number of Syrians in Turkey has grown at an increasing pace. There are three million today.

In Istanbul alone, there are 540,000 who have been registered. Many have been living there for years and uncertainty has become part of daily life. Such is the case of over 350,000 children (over 40%) who, in spite of domestic and international aid programs, continue not to go to school. It is especially for them that 'Pages' offers a breath of fresh air.

Infomigrants with ANSA