Saturday 05 / October / 2024
Muttrah: The long wait for the book lovers is over as the ‘Logos Hope’ ship opened its doors for the masses on Friday.
Having the largest floating library in the world, the ship docked at Port Sultan Qaboos in the Wilayat of Muttrah, on Thursday.
There was a huge rush of book connoisseurs near the port to board the bus for ferrying them to the ship at the port. People of all age groups were seen jostling to have a seat on the bus. One of the visitors who had to wait for almost an hour to board the bus, said: “It was worth waiting. These are once in a lifetime opportunities. The craze among the crowd for the ship library was amazing. You need to be there to feel the enthusiasm among the crowd. I am fortunate that I got an opportunity to see the library,” he said.
Another visitor said, “You can visit restaurants, malls daily, rather every week. But the opportunity of visiting a library on a floating ship comes only in a decade.”
Announcing the arrival of the ship, the Children’s Public Library said: “You are on a date with an inspiring journey to the world of books and knowledge, on an exceptional journey through the sea waters, as the world’s largest floating library ‘Logos Hope’ will dock from July 14 to 22, 2023. The book fair gives visitors an opportunity to explore the world of knowledge and learning under the roof. Logos Hope carries with it a huge collection of books and educational resources on a variety of subjects.
“The ship offers an opportunity for quiet reading in its cozy nooks or taking in the stunning views from its beautiful balcony. Visitors can also participate in writing workshops and interesting cultural activities that are held on board the ship.”
The ship will continue to receive visitors daily from four in the afternoon until ten in the evening, after which it will leave for the Dhofar Governorate, where it will stay for seven days.
The ‘Logos Hope’ ship is one of the most famous mobile book fairs in the world.
It is a learning treasure trove as it travels around the world to transfer knowledge through a series of seminars and cultural events that are offered to visitors inside the ship.
The ‘Logos Hope’ ship includes a wide range of titles and books and their numbers are more than 5,000, suitable for all age groups, children, youth and adults. A storehouse of information, it has novels, books on history, science, arts, medicine, languages, and dictionaries among others.
It is worth noting that the “Logos Hope” ship had previously visited the Sultanate of Oman twice, first in 2011, and the second time in 2013. It is owned by the German charitable organisation (Good Books for All), and annually receives nearly one million visitors since its establishment. In 1970, it visited more than 150 countries around the world, and the number of its visitors has reached 49 million since its launch as a library in 2009, while their staff includes volunteers from more than 70 nationalities, numbering 400 people.
