JEDDAH, 1 November 2004 — Jeddah’s annual book fair is set for next month. The event will be held in cooperation with King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s International Exhibition Center from Dec. 10-18.
More than 400 major local and international publishers will showcase their latest books and publications, ranging from religion to science, literature and education.
“Children’s books and multimedia educational programs will have the pride of place,” a spokesman for Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd., which organizes the annual event, told Arab News yesterday. Long-distance learning and compact discs will also be in focus alongside a section dedicated to non-Arabic books.
Publishers from Germany, Turkey, Iran, Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates will exhibit their products, aside from the Kingdom’s leading publishing houses.
This year’s book fair has been rescheduled because of Ramadan. “Many participating publishers requested that the event be postponed, as they desired to devote themselves to prayers and worship during the holy month,” he said.
“Last year’s book fair was a confusion, as a sizable number of books, especially non-Arabic books and those coming from the West, were prohibited from being displayed,” said a local publisher who did not want to be named.
