Sharjah International Book Fair 2022 opens under the theme Spread the Word

Sharjah: H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah opened the 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), starting today until November 13 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, attended the inauguration of the event, which is organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, under the theme “Spread the Word”.

The Sharjah Ruler welcomed the attendees of the SIBF opening, pointing out that in the past two years the fair witnessed the launch of the first volumes of the “Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language”.

He also highlighted the importance and benefits of the dictionary in research and history, its comprehensiveness of all Arabic linguistic knowledge and its informational uniqueness.

H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan concluded his speech by referring to the great cultural event that the Emirate is experiencing these days, calling on everyone to benefit from it.

The Sharjah Ruler took a souvenir photo with the scholars who contributed to the project of the “Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language” from linguistic academies in the Arab world.

He also honoured the cultural personality for this edition, the Sudanese historian, Professor Yusuf Fadl Hasan.

Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, delivered a speech in which he addressed the great importance of the Sharjah International Book Fair and the continuous development that the fair has achieved, establishing Sharjah as a destination for writers and a global centre for culture.

Professor Yusuf Fadl Hasan delivered a speech on the occasion of his honouring as the Cultural Personality of the Year, in which he thanked the Ruler of Sharjah for his cultural and knowledge development efforts across the world.

For his part, Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, expressed his happiness for representing Italy, as the guest of honour of the new edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair.

The ceremony began with an artistic show that included creative digital paintings and live performances embodying the importance of the word and its impact on building civilisations.

The ceremony witnessed a presentation that tells of the process of completing the “Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language”, which is being launched in several stages, in cooperation with linguistic academies in various Arab countries.

After the opening ceremony, the Ruler of Sharjah toured the fair, while being briefed on a number of pavilions of the participating institutions, bodies and publishing houses, as well as on what the fair is offering in its current edition.

During his tour, he received a number of gifts and cultural, scientific and literary publications from the participating pavilions, writers and intellectuals. SIBF 2022 Spread Word theme SIBF 2022 Spread Word theme

This year’s SIBF edition features 2,213 publishers from 95 countries, including 1,298 Arab and 915 foreign publishing houses. 150 prominent Arab and foreign writers, thinkers, innovators and artists from 15 countries will participate in the fair’s activities, across 1,500 events and various dialogue sessions, including 200 cultural events.