Aabpara Market is one of the oldest commercial areas in Islamabad, and for a long time it has been where the city goes for books. It is not a single bookshop but a cluster of them, each with its own leanings, tucked between general stores and plazas.
When to come
Most shops, ours included, open around 10 in the morning and stay open until about 9 at night. Late afternoon into the evening is the liveliest time. Fridays are quieter around prayer time, and the market is generally less crowded earlier in the day if you want to browse without moving around people.
How to actually find things
The honest advice: ask. Stock moves, shelves are deep, and a great deal of what any shop here holds is not on display. A shopkeeper who knows their stock can find in thirty seconds what you would not find in twenty minutes of looking. Bring the author name if you have it — titles get translated and transliterated in several different ways, and authors are far more reliable to search on.
What to expect on price
Prices vary between an imported original and a locally printed edition, sometimes substantially. There is nothing wrong with the local edition for most readers, but you should know which one you are buying — ask, and any decent shop will tell you straight.
Finding us
Hamza Books is in Shehbaz Plaza, Shop #3, on Khayaban-e-Suhrwardy Road in G-6/1. If you are coming by car, parking around the market fills up in the evening; a little earlier makes life much easier. Come in and ask for whatever you are after, even if you only half remember it.