Omani publishers praise DIBF turnout and Qataris' passion for reading

The Sultanate of Oman is participating as the guest of honour in the 33rd session of the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), which is open at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) from May 9 to 18, 2024, under the slogan, 'With knowledge, civilisations are built'.
A number of Omani officials and publishers spoke to Gulf Times, Dr Sulaiman Dawood al-Sabei, assistant dean of research at Sultan Qaboos University said: “We are participating with our scientific publications on heritage, as well as doctorate and master theses, and books in most fields of knowledge. In addition we publish seven refereed and specialised periodicals in education, literature, agriculture, culture, and public health. Contributing researchers are from Oman and abroad who are interested in the Omani cultural development. We participate as a guest of honour, and this, if anything, indicates the depth of bilateral relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Qatar, as well as the in-depth cultural exchange between the two countries.
Professor Dr Ahmed bin Hamad al-Rabani Director of the Center for Omani Studies at Sultan Qaboos University said: “the centre specialises in publishing research in the fields of politics, economics, education, social and cultural studies. It is a national hub for consultancies to the public and private sectors. Any researchers who is interested in publishing his or her research on Omani or Gulf studies from anywhere in the world, the centre will cover all the publishing costs and all our publications are refereed. We are pleased to participate in the excellent DIBF as the guest of honour. This exhibition is exceptional with the great turnout from local, Arab and foreign visitors in the activities of the 33rd session, which confirms its prestigious cultural and intellectual status on the regional and international arenas. As well as the Qataris excellent good organisation and hospitality.”
Moza al-Badi and Nasra al-Mamari the co-founders of Al-Fikr Publishing Company said: “The turnout is great in the Doha of love and beauty. The Qatari citizen is a passionate and educated reader. We embarked on this pioneering project for a sustainable education in Al Brimi Governorate as a book club, then launched their publications to cover most subjects. They are officials at the Ministry of education but they wanted to stand out of the ordinary and leave their footprint by promoting the book and reading. “We have a children’s book club to promote reading among youth, as well as special programmes for women focused on Omani ladies’ success stories. We love the book and we want to build bridges with publishers and promote the Omani heritage, civilisation and women to the rest of the world.”
The exhibition will be open to visitors from 9am to 10pm, except on Fridays from 3pm to 10pm.