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E-book sales have been on the rise worldwide, but big e-book readers such as Kindle and iBooks have yet to add Arabic e-books to their libraries. Meanwhile, several e-book readers launched in the MENA to fill the needs of Arabic book lovers, and we have chosen the best 5. Here’s the list in no particular order…

1. Nooon Books

Since it was launched in 2009in Saudi Arabia, Nooon Books was able to step up its game to reach 166 countries. Dealing directly with publishing houses in the Arab world, it was able to convert a great number of books into digital, making it the most diverse and comprehensive Arabic digital library, with books on subjects ranging from fiction to academic.

NooonBooks app’s interface is practical and easy to use, where you can easily search for books by genre, topic, or author. Once you download a book, you can find it in your library. You can easily move between chapters by using the table of contents. In addition, you can benefit from useful features including highlighting texts, sharing what you’re reading on social media, as well as listening to background nature music.

NooonBooks App is available for Windows Phone, Android, and iOS for free, or you can directly download books from NooonBooks website.

2. Obeikan

Obeikan is a publishing house and a library that works with ministries of education across the Middle East to create educational curriculums; therefore, one could only find books published by Obeikan. The app has a similar yet a bit more interactive interface to NooonBooks, adding a news section for new releases. You can also find a variety of audio books.

Obeikan’s app tools include brightness control, background color adjustment, table of content, notes index, adding/deleting note, and an interactive bar to surf smoothly between pages.

Obeikan app is available for Windows Phone, Android, and iOS for free, or you can directly download books from Obeikan’s website.

3. Rufoof

Rufoof was launchedinNovember 2011to providethe ultimate Arabic e-library experience. The name “Rufoof,” meaning shelves in Arabic, says a lot about the app, with its easy and well-designed interface.

Rufoof’s store can be accessed through your personal Facebook or Twitter account, or you can easily sign up and create your own account. The store provides a variety of books and magazines, some are paid and some are free such as “Hamlet” Shakespeare, “al-'Awasif” (The Storms) Jubran Khalil Jubran , “The Island of Doctor Moreau” by author Herbert Wells, and many other books, while you can also find magazines such as “Forbes” and “TopGear Magazine”.

Rufoof can only be found on Apple Store for free.

4. Ertiqa

Ertiqa was established in 2007 in Saudi Arabia, with a variety of books that are all free. Ertiqa app providesan enjoyable reading experience, enabling its readers adjustthe font size,addnotes,highlight textsand search fora specific word, among other features.

Ertiqa provides a summary of eachbook, along with reader’sreviewsof these books.

Ertiqa can be downloaded for free on Google Play and Apple Store.

5. Sibawayh

Sibawayh is a digital Arabic books publishing app that offers readers a variety of books. Its interface is similar to that of Rufoof and Ertiqa. You can accessthe Sibawayh storeusingyourTwitterorFacebook account. The store includes new releases section, and a section for offers allowing you to buy for less.

Compared to the other e-readers in this list, the tools of Sibawayh are relatively basic and it displays page numbers, allows font size control, and provides an easy way to surf between pages.

Which of these e-readers do you like the most? Do you have other e-readers that you would like to talk about? Let us know in the comments section...