School supplies on 100,000 What does 1,000 new pounds buy a student?
Episode date: Length: 1 min 37 s
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With school starting, the Mukhtar went to Halbouni, Damascus's stationery district, with one question: what can 100,000 old pounds (1,000 new pounds) buy?
The short answer
In September 2025, 1,000 new Syrian pounds (100,000 old, about $8.7) covered the basics: notebooks, pencils, erasers, rulers and sharpeners, but not a bag. A school bag alone cost about $5.9 to $20 (680 to 2,300 new pounds).
Notebooks in Halbouni ran from about 9 to 33 new pounds each. At another shop a 40 page notebook was 28 pounds and an 80 page one 45 pounds.
And pens and erasers?
A pencil was about 10 new pounds and ink pens 7 to 12 pounds. A large eraser was 20 pounds and a small one 7.
What about the bag?
School bags cost about $5.9 to $20 (680 to 2,300 new pounds). One seller said a student needs about 2,000 new pounds including the bag.
Is 100,000 enough?
After two shops, the Mukhtar bought the bare basics for 100,000 old pounds. With a bag, it is not enough.
Questions people ask
Is 100,000 Syrian pounds enough for school supplies?
In September 2025, 100,000 old pounds (1,000 new) covered the bare basics, without a school bag.
How much is a school bag in Damascus?
About $5.9 to $20 (680 to 2,300 new Syrian pounds) in Halbouni, September 2025.
How much is a notebook in Damascus?
About 9 to 33 new pounds each; an 80 page notebook was about 45 pounds.
We ask sellers in the market and record every price with its date, in US dollars and new Syrian pounds. How we work
The Mukhtar Al Souq team: produced by Ahmad Nahas (the show on his site) · written by Ahmad Nahas, Mazen Shbib, Ranim Shabani and Dania Halbouni · edited by Abdulrahman Al-Nassar and Abdulrahman Mulla · graphics by Wael Fayyad
The truth from the market, for the people