Bahrain Guest of Honour at Riyadh International Book Fair

Manama, Mar. 12 (BNA): Bahrain will be the Guest of Honour of the Riyadh International Book Fair that opens in the Saudi capital on Wednesday. Held under the auspices of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the fair will run from March 13 until March 23 and will attract more than one million visitors. Organisers said that 913 publishing houses from 30 countries would have stands to display their books covering a wide range of subjects. Bahrain as the Guest of Honour will present 13 various activities throughout the 10-day event considered as one of the major literary gatherings in the Arab world. "From the Kingdom of Bahrain, we come as wide as the world with evidence of culture with its writings, productions, readings and creativities, to share the beautiful event, read together and create a new difference that builds, in parallel to the causeway, bridges of love and knowledge," Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, the President of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, said. The fair will have an official opening on Wednesday, but visitors will be able to enter starting on Thursday from 10 am until 10 pm. According to the organisers 1,465 publishing houses applied to take part in the fair, but only 913 were accepted. The houses will have 1,750 staff to assist the visitors. The fair will also have 300 volunteers to provide assistance. The fair will feature an online bookstore that will allow people to purchase books online. The books will be delivered to their homes throughout Saudi Arabia through the Saudi mail, the organisers said. Most of the books will be in Arabic, 95 per cent, and the remaining will be in other languages. Saudi Arabia's books will represent 33 per cent of the fair. The number of women authors will be 134, one more than that of the men with 133. Organisers have planned to hold 200 functions, including 62 conferences, four plays and 18 short movies, mainly from Saudi Arabia. There will also be workshops to be conducted by plastic art experts.