31st Book Fair Witnesses Notable Arab and Foreign Participation
DAMASCUS, (ST)-Under the Patronage of President Bashar Al-Assad, the 31st Book Fair kicked off Thursday evening at Al-Assad National Library in Damascus with the participation of publishing houses representing Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Oman, Jordan, Sudan, Iran, Russia, Indonesia and Denmark.
Vice President Najah al-Attar represented President Al-Assad at the opening ceremony.
237 publishing houses, including 150 Syrian ones are taking part in this outstanding cultural event that presents more than 50 thousand titles.
“Celebrating the book fair today, after we have almost surpassed the crisis, means celebrating all values of culture which has given the book a key role in knowledge and in enhancing creativity,” said al-Attar in a statement to journalists, stressing that the book has been one of the weapons of resistance and steadfastness under the current circumstances and in the confrontation of terrorism and conspiracies.
She affirmed that holding such fairs wouldn’t have been possible without the sacrifices and military victories of the Syrian Arab army over terrorism in most Syrian areas.
Haitham al-Hafez, head of the Syrian Publishers Union, said that the fair reflects the remarkable development of the publishing industry in Syria despite the war circumstances.
He noted a distinguished Iranian participation in the fair in addition to the return of big Arab publishing houses.
The fair will include a number of cultural symposiums, poetry evenings, lectures, book signing ceremonies, honoring a number of intellectuals, cinema shows, a fine arts exhibition and a rare book and manuscripts exhibition.
Hamda Mustafa