Baghdad Book Fair draws 600+ publishers
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The 27th Baghdad International Book Fair opened on Wednesday with more than 600 local, Arab, and international publishing houses taking part.
A Shafaq News correspondent reported strong attendance at the opening, with Iraqi writers, intellectuals and readers, as well as visitors from other countries, touring the fair.
Noor al-Karam, the fair’s media director, told Shafaq News that intellectuals and students were visiting stands offering a wide range of scientific, literary and intellectual books. “The large public turnout shows that Iraq still ranks highly among countries around the world in terms of interest in reading and learning.”
Oman is this year’s guest of honor, bringing to the fair a cultural history reflecting the longstanding ties between Oman and Iraq. In an interview with Shafaq News, Sami al-Adli, an adviser at Oman’s Ministry of Culture and Sports, said the two countries share “many cultural connections and symbols.”
He pointed to Ahmad ibn Khalil al-Farahidi, the Omani scholar who came from Oman to Basra and developed the science of Arabic prosody and its poetic meters. Oman’s participation, he added, seeks to strengthen its intellectual and cultural ties with Baghdad, a city long known for its contributions to scholarship and literature.
Lebanon’s Arab Book House, one of the country’s prominent publishing houses, is also taking part in the fair after previous appearances at the Baghdad event and other international book fairs.
Hussein Mousa, the publishing house representative, explained that its participation in Baghdad differs from its presence at other international book fairs, noting that “the Iraqi public has a strong interest in reading and in choosing books across different genres.”
The publisher recorded strong book sales on the fair’s first day, describing the result as unsurprising given the Iraqi public’s close relationship with books.
Islamic publications have a notable presence at this year’s fair. Dar al-Rasoul al-Akram is displaying a wide selection of books on Islamic history. The publishing house’s director, Hassan Mousa, told Shafaq News that it brought around 1,500 Islamic titles covering hadith, religious narratives, Quranic interpretation and other subjects.
He noted that participation by publishing houses and intellectuals has increased with each edition of the Baghdad book fair, which he said is a sign of the event’s growth and success.
The Palestinian publishing sector has also drawn attention at this year’s fair. The Palestinian pavilion contains no books and is instead centered on the word “Genocide,” placed prominently in the space as a reference to the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip since 2023.
The international book fair will continue through September 12, featuring cultural activities, intellectual seminars, literary evenings, and book-signing events.
