The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced listing Taif on its Creative Cities Network, making it the first creative city in Saudi Arabia in the literature field.
The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission had prepared the bid in cooperation with several bodies, mainly the Taif Municipality, where the bid included the necessary data, statistics and information in accordance with UNESCO's requirements and the criteria required for registration in the network based on seven factors.
These aspects were aligned with the programs of the three sectors: the quality and volume of publications in the city, showcasing an important role for literature, drama and poetry in the city, and quality and diversity of educational programs that focus on local literature education, as well as hosting and organizing literary events and festivals in the city, the availability of public libraries and bookshops, public cultural centers, the participation of traditional and new media in marketing literature and enhancing its local market and engaging publication houses in the translation of literary works into various languages.
