The 28th edition of the Muscat International Book Fair will kick off on Wednesday, packed with new events, especially after its success in the previous 27th edition. The 27th edition saw the organization of a Bahraini Cultural Week during the fair period, which helped to strengthen relations between the two countries and establish an effective cultural exchange.
During the previous edition, artificial intelligence technology was used for the first time to measure the number of visitors, identify times of peak visits as well as determine the ages of visitors and other data.
The number of participants in the previous edition of the book fair in Muscat reached 32 countries, with approximately 826 publishing houses from various parts of the world participating. The number of cultural events at that time reached 165 events.
The 28th edition of the Muscat International Book Fair will feature several distinctive events. The fair is considered one of the most prominent cultural destinations in the Arab world, and it is an essential part of the process of instilling good values in Arab youth and developing and promoting the concept of culture and sound reading among new generations.
The opening ceremony of the fair will be held on Wednesday at 7 pm at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center under the auspices of Dr Mohammed bin Said al Maamari, Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs. This year, 847 publishing houses from 34 countries are participating in the Muscat International Book Fair.
Al Dhahirah Governorate, the guest of honor at the fair, will contribute to the fair with a variety of events and activities to introduce its intellectual and cultural history, including an exhibition of art and photographs inspired by heritage and history, as well as an exhibition of archaeological finds discovered in the capital. In addition, there will be several events, the most important of which is a dialogue session on Al Dhahirah
There will be a lecture on the treasures of Al Dhahirah Governorate at the National Museum, a seminar on investment opportunities in Al Dhahirah Governorate and its strategic location, and a lecture entitled "Al Dhahirah: Land of Secrets" through Omani manuscripts.
Several activities and events will be organized for children including workshops, interactive competitions, plays, discussion, drawing and coloring, recycling, reading sessions, cover and bookmark making, story writing and listening, creative writing and scientific innovation workshops, in addition to poetry and chanting programs, and shadow theater shows.
The cultural committee of the fair, in partnership with the Directorate General of Arts, presents a variety of theatrical shows that include mime, diorama theater, monodrama theater by actor Faris Al Balushi, and street theater. In addition, the children's corner will host several plays, including "The Rain Continues" presented by the Directorate of Education in South Al Batinah, the school play "The Crystal", and the play "The Brothers of Sulfur" by the Ambition Theater Company.
GRAPH POINTS
1. 847 publishing houses from 34 countries. 676 publishers will participate directly and 171 others through agents
2. Al Dhahirah Governorate is the guest of honor at the fair. A number of programmes will be dedicated to A'Dhahirah Governorate’s intellectual and cultural history.
3. As many as 622,000 book titles and publications are listed on the site. 269,000 are in Arabic and 200,000 in foreign languages. The Omani collection includes about 19,000 books, of which 35,989 are new books printed in 2023 and 2024
4. The theme of the book fair this year will be artificial intelligence (AI)
5. The 28th Muscat International Book Fair will be held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre
6. The book fair will feature 44 different cultural sessions
7. Egypt, with the most collections of books, will be the top participant, followed by Oman, Lebanon, and Syria.
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