Jeddah International Book Fair’s tale of success

Under the theme “Tolerance and Peace,” the event highlighted heritage and tradition, and featured more than 60 workshops in fine arts. (SPA)

• The fair also featured a discussion on “Books as an awareness vessel” moderated by Hana Al-Majlad

JEDDAH: More than 50,000 visitors a day, publishers from 40 countries and 180,000 titles on offer — the numbers tell the remarkable success story for the 4th Jeddah International Book Fair.
Jordan, Sudan and Yemen were among dozens of Arab and Islamic countries taking part in the 10-day fair, which ends on Saturday.
Under the theme “Tolerance and Peace,” the event highlighted heritage and tradition, and featured more than 60 workshops in fine arts, photography and calligraphy, as well as seminars, lectures, and plays focusing on social and cultural topics.
Abdullah bin Hassan Al-Kinany, general supervisor at the Ministry of Information for Cultural Affairs, said that visitors to the fair were able to explore “a variety of subjects catering to different tastes and segments of society.”
Highlights of the fair included a play under the theme “A Thousand and One Half Arabian Nights” and a symposium examining “Saudi Arabia through the eyes of female emigrants.”
The fair also featured a discussion on “Books as an awareness vessel” moderated by Hana Al-Majlad.
Visitors to the event also saw a photography exhibition focusing on biodiversity in the US, while folklore shows were presented by Jordanian, Sudanese, Yemeni and Pakistani communities in the Kingdom.