“The response is good and we have exhibited 1,000 different titles that generate great interest.” Saad Nasser Aldwayan at the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education told Arab News on Thursday.

The Sharjah International Book Fair has grown tremendously since its inception 30 years ago and has become one of the biggest in the Arab world. A number of stands from countries including Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria and India  have displayed  titles from politics to cookery and religion to language. 

“We expect a large turn out on  Friday and Saturday,” Aldwayan added. “Our stand has been chosen as Guest of Honor this year. It is considered as a significant sign to the international community’s appreciation for the efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah,” he added. “Such fairs will create opportunities for intellectual exchanges among civilizations,” Aldwayan told Arab News.

The exhibition, the biggest-ever as it has drawn about 900 publishers from more than 40 countries who have brought over 300,000 titles to showcase at the event, was inaugurated on Wednesday by Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi. Sheikh Sultan also signed the first copy of his latest book, Hasad Al-Sineen (The Harvest of Years) during the event.

The exhibition is accompanied by a number of cultural, intellectual and creative activities. The fair has attracted the elite of the Arab world, whose participation ensured cultural interaction between the UAE and the world. In all 435 activities have been lined up for the festival that serves as an interactive platform for exchange of knowledge in the fields of book publishing, distribution and translation.

In celebration of the 30th anniversary, the professional program at the event has been expanded to include a translation program, including the launch of a $300,000 fund to provide translation grants, networking and educational program.

This edition of the fair has also seen a big participation from India, which has been showcasing more than 35 top publishers.  The highlight of the Indian participation will be the presence of 10 popular authors including Shashi Tharoor, Shobha De, Chetan Bhagat, Ruskin Bond, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, M. Mukundan and Jaishree Misra.

Among the major participants from India are the Islamic Publishing House (IPH) and DC books. Malayalam Daily Madhyamam also has set up a booth with a memorable photo exhibition by renowned photographer Ajeeb Komachi. The exhibition has a display of more than 40 photographs illustrating India-Arab connections.

The event will run till Nov. 26 at Sharjah Expo Center.