Muscat International Book Fair begins

Muscat: The 27th edition of Muscat International Book Fair kicked off at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) on Wednesday.

The opening ceremony of the book fair was held under the patronage of Sayyid Hamoud Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior.

Sayyid Hamoud toured the halls of the Fair and visited several corners and pavilions of official institutions and authorities, including those of the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA), Thakerat Oman Centre, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit.

He also toured the corner of the Omani Women’s Association, several corners designated for children and pavilions of participating countries.

Sayyid Hamoud concluded his tour by visiting the guest of honour’s corner of South Al Batinah Governorate. In this corner, he viewed several displayed items which reflect the past and present time of the governorate.

This edition of the Book Fair, which will be held till 4 March 2023, sees the participation of 826 publishing houses from 32 countries. Those publishing houses will be presenting 533,063 titles and publications. Omani publications stood at 22,950. Meanwhile, recent publications stood at 5,900 while foreign books reached 204,411. Arabic books stood at 260,614.

The Book Fair includes as many as 165 cultural activities and 166 activities for children. Moreover, two corners are designated for Omani authors.

The activities that are held on the sidelines of the Book Fair include activities for children and families, scientific and cultural corners, a reading corner and cultural cafes. In addition, specific times are allocated for school students.

Many authors are present during the Book Fair to sign their publications and many institutions will be present during the event.

For the first time, Muscat International Book Fair will implement e-payments in coordination with a local bank. The Book Fair kicked off at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre under the patronage of the Minister of Interior.