"Abu Dhabi International Book".. Contracts of cultural and cognitive creativity

Abu Dhabi, April 26 / WAM / The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, with the start of its 34th session today, succeeded in establishing its position as a leading cultural and knowledge destination, as it managed over decades to establish the concept of sustainability of knowledge and culture, and strengthened the presence of the Arabic language in the creative and cultural industries sector locally, regionally and globally.

The march of the exhibition began with inspiring stations since 1981, when the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, opened its first session under the name “Islamic Book Fair”, which was held in the cultural complex in Abu Dhabi with the participation of 50 publishers.

In 1986, the first “Abu Dhabi Book Fair” courses were also launched in the Cultural Complex, with the participation of 70 publishers, before its momentum increased in the 1988 session with the participation of 80 publishers from 10 Arab countries.

In 1993, it was decided to organize the exhibition annually, with a growing participation of local, regional and international publishing houses.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the exhibition attracted in the 2001 session about 514 publishing houses, in a remarkable presence of the leaders of thought and cultural symbols.

The exhibition witnessed in the 2009 session the launch of the “Arab Library”, and succeeded in attracting 637 publishing houses from 52 countries, while France was chosen as a guest of honor in the 2011 session for the first time.

In the 2014 course, the “Anti -Personality” program was first launched, where Al -Mutanabbi was chosen, and 1050 exhibitions participated in the exhibition.

In 2015, the exhibition celebrated his silver jubilee, and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, “may God rest his soul”, celebrated as a pivotal figure, with the participation of 1181 publishing houses from 63 countries.

He also celebrated the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as a pivotal figure in the 2018 course, which coincided with the “Year of Zayed”, where the exhibition witnessed the participation of 1350 exhibitors from 63 countries, and Poland was chosen as a guest of honor.

In 2019, India was a guest of honor of the exhibition, which for the first time witnessed the launch of the “one million tolerant document”, in conjunction with the “Year of Tolerance”.

The last session witnessed the participation of 1350 exhibitors from 90 countries, under the slogan “Here … the stories of the world”, as well as the participation of 145 publishing houses for the first time, along with 12 new countries, including Greece, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Mozambique, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Indonesia.

In an unprecedented step, it was decided for the first time to extend the exhibition period to 10 days starting from the 34th session, which takes place from April 26 to May 5, 2025, which contributes to stimulating innovation in the publishing industry, promoting dialogue and cultural exchange, as well as providing broader support to local and Arab writers by giving them longer time to communicate with international publishers.

The exhibition celebrates, as part of its supportive approach to the dialogue of cultures, with the culture of the Caribbean region, which was chosen as a guest of honor this year, as well as highlighting the doctor and philosopher Ibn Sina as a pivotal figure, while the exhibition also witnesses a special presence of the book “One Thousand and One Nights” within its various activities.

More than 1,400 exhibitors from 96 countries around the world participate in the current session, who speak more than 60 languages, of whom 120 are participating for the first time, with a growth rate of 18%.

The course also records the participation of publishing houses from 20 new countries from four continents, speaking more than 25 languages, and the exhibition includes 28 international pavilions, and hosts 87 local and international government agencies, along with 13 publishers, 15 universities, and 8 initiatives dedicated to supporting publishing.

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