Part of children's activities held during the exhibition.
Children at a book stall.
Members of the public at the Ramadan Book Fair.
The curtain came down on the second edition of the Ramadan Book Fair Sunday at the Darb Al Saai headquarters in Umm Salal. The event was held under the auspices of HE Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Thani, Minister of Culture.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture, the book fair saw the participation of 79 publishing houses from within and outside Qatar, including 18 publishing houses specialised in children's literature and books.The participating entities included 31 publishing houses from Qatar and 48 from 14 Arab and other countries: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, Canada, the UK and Australia.The book fair featured various accompanying events, including religious lectures, intellectual, cultural and poetic sessions, various theatrical and artistic performances, and entertainment activities that attracted families and children.The exhibition witnessed, from its beginning on March 30 until the last day, a wide public turnout.Commenting at the conclusion of the event, Ramadan Book Fair director Jassim Ahmed al-Buainain said: "The second edition of the book fair succeeded at all levels and by all standards, which prompted us to extend the exhibition until April 9, at the request of the public.”The official noted that the exhibition was a destination for book enthusiasts, intellectuals and writers, who found on the shelves of publishing houses a variety of books that met the needs of everyone.He added that the accompanying activities such as religious seminars, discussion and cultural sessions, and children's workshops and games attracted families and children, who enjoyed the atmosphere of the exhibition.The Ramadan Book Fair director stressed that the participation of Qatari and Arab publishing houses enriched the exhibition.Their distinguished involvement contributed to the provision of all kinds of books, including literary, cultural, scientific, religious and children's books, among others.Al-Buainain explained that the Ministry of Culture sought to make the exhibition an opportunity for visitors to benefit from the accompanying cultural and religious events, and enrich their experience in line with the atmosphere of the holy month, amid the presence of a large number of publishing houses from Qatar and abroad.The Ministry of Culture was keen to hold this edition to promote the participation of a large number of publishing houses specialised in books for children and young adults in both Arabic and English.He expressed thanks to the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) and the Ministry of Social Development and Family for their contribution to the success of the exhibition.(QNA)