JEDDAH, 10 December 2004 — Children’s books and multimedia educational programs are in focus at the 5th annual Jeddah International Book Fair, which opens here at 5 p.m. today. Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed will officially open the fair at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
Four hundred national and overseas publishers are showcasing their books and publications at the fair, being organized by Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd. in cooperation with the Deanship of Library Affairs of King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU).
More than 400 major local and international publishers have on display their latest products ranging from religious books to science, literature and academic books as well as children’s books and multimedia educational programs, long distance learning and compact discs. Another feature this year is a section dedicated to non-Arabic books.
“This event is considered one of the most important shows taking place in the Gulf,” in view of its impressive track record and the vast number of participants,” a spokesman for the organizers told Arab News yesterday.
Forty percent of exhibitors are from within the Kingdom and the rest have come from Germany, Turkey, Iran, Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and United Arab Emirates.
The fair continues for nine days up to Dec. 18 and will be open daily for visitors in two sessions, morning and evening, except Fridays when the show will only have the evening session.
“The number of publishers this time is the same as last year,” the ACE spokesman said.
“We’re eagerly awaiting the book fair,” Sanaa Hafiz, a Saudi girl studying arts at KAAU, said.
“We hope all books that are good enough to be showcased will be on display at the exhibition, because last year some books were withdrawn from the show although they were available at local bookshops,” Ahmed Al-Suweilem, an avid book reader, said.
The head of the exhibition, Mohammad Jamal Abdulhadi, said that the exhibition would take up around 10,000 square meters with 50 percent of it being rented. He added that Saudi books make up 40 percent of the displayed books followed by Egyptian books with 90 publishing houses participating.
Meanwhile, a book on the Kingdom’s archeological places has been newly published here. “The book has all the potential to become a reference for those who seek knowledge,” say its publishers, APSCO-Mobil.
The publishers have offered 2,000 issues as gifts to libraries, colleges, institutes and schools.
