Destination KSA

Riyadh International Bookfair was launched on Wednesday last week and is said to be one of the largest cultural events in the Kingdom.

This year, the bookfair is held under the theme, “Books – Future of Transformation”, and has a collection of books on all subjects in different languages.

Different universities of the Kingdom had their stalls at the event with their representatives answering the visitors’ queries about their institutes and services.

The fair is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information and offers more than 60,000 books from a range of genres and for readers of all age groups. In addition to offering the books at a discounted rate, the fair also included literary discussion, seminars, and workshops.

The event serves as a cultural bridge between the Arab region and the wider world, providing a networking platform for publishers, writers, scholars and academic institutions through quality exchanges between authors, publishers, and readers. One of the main objectives of the fair is to promote literacy amongst young Saudis, in a bid to furthermore develop the Kingdom’s knowledge-based economy. This year’s Guest of Honor is the United Arab Emirates, which is represented by more than 20 publishing houses.

The stunning fusion artwork by the artists is one 0f the main attractions of the event. The bookfair brought together well-known Saudi calligrapher Shaker Kashgari and Emirati artist Ashwaq Abdulla who collaborated on an acrylic painting of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.

The Organizing Committee of the bookfair has also announced a photo contest for the visitors to submit their best images of the exhibition. The part of this contest? The winners will be awarded an iPhone.

For more information regarding the competition, click on this link