30 countries to take part in Doha International Book Fair

Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the 29th edition of the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF) will run from November 29 to December 8, with participation of 427 publishing houses of 30 Arab and other countries, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.

HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem al-Ali on Saturday announced the details of the book fair, themed "Doha, A City of Knowledge and Conscience."The minister said: "Over 130 years ago, the generation of our forefathers, led by the late Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, had recognised the importance of books. Despite the difficult circumstances, he and his generation attached particular importance to books, not only to their people in Qatar, but throughout the whole region.”

The audience at the press conference.He pointed out that the Qataris have always been keen to uphold those values established by their predecessors no matter how challenging and difficulty they were.Jassem al-Buainain, director, Doha International Book Fair, noted that the Russians will be the guest of honour of the exhibition in the framework of the cultural year "Qatar-Russia 2018".The exhibition, being organised by the Qatar Cultural and Heritage Center of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, is located on an area of 29,000sqm, the largest ever since its inception in 1972. “The number of pavilions reached 975 suites, an increase of 215 suites from last year, while the number of registered books is over 121,900, with special attention to childrentarget="_blank"'>