Sharjah International Book Fair Drew 1.4 Million Visitors
The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair drew 1,400,730 visitors from 206 countries during its 12-day run, the Sharjah Book Authority announced.
During the two-day Sharjah Publishers Conference, 1,599 publishers from 116 countries conducted 3,321 rights meetings. A total of 2,350 publishers and exhibitors from 118 countries participated in the fair.
The 12th Sharjah International Library Conference, organized with the American Library Association, brought 400 librarians from 30 countries to discuss the evolving role of libraries as community hubs. The Training Program for Arab and African Publishers, organized with New York University, attracted 161 publishers from 18 countries, including 75 from Africa.
Egyptian writer and playwright Mohamed Salmawy was honored as Cultural Personality of the Year, while Greece served as Guest of Honor. International participants included Will Smith, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, physicist Carlo Rovelli, and Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch.
"The 44th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair focused on the reader as the foundation of knowledge," said Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority. "The presence of visitors from 198 nationalities reaffirmed Sharjah's status as a global hub for cultural dialogue.
