Saudi Arabia Set to Captivate Seoul International Book Fair as Guest of Honor

Saudi Arabia Set to Captivate Seoul International Book Fair as Guest of Honor
TT

Saudi Arabia Set to Captivate Seoul International Book Fair as Guest of Honor

Saudi Arabia Set to Captivate Seoul International Book Fair as Guest of Honor

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is gearing up for a grand showcase at the upcoming 66th Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) 2024. Held under the Korean Publishers Association, the fair takes place from June 26 to 30 at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul.
Spearheaded by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, Saudi Arabia's participation will feature a dedicated pavilion brimming with cultural treasures.
The collaboration between the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission and Ithra has yielded a significant outcome – a Korean translation of the Mu'allaqat (The Hanging Odes), a collection of seven renowned pre-Islamic Arabic poems. This translation will be unveiled during the fair, marking a milestone in cultural exchange. The KSGAAL project in Korea will also be launched at SIBF, SPA reported.
Beyond books, the Saudi presence will extend to a captivating Saudi dinner night. This event will tantalize attendees' taste buds with a diverse culinary journey, featuring delicacies from various regions of the Kingdom. Guests can also expect a captivating display of traditional Saudi performing arts.

Joining the commission at SIBF are prominent Saudi entities like the Heritage Commission, the Fashion Commission, the Film Commission, the Culinary Arts Commission, the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah), the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL), the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), the King Abdulaziz Public Library, the King Fahd National Library, the Saudi Publishing Association, and the Ministry of Investment.



India's Modi Leads Yoga Day Celebration in Muslim-majority Kashmir

While yoga is not itself a religious practice, it has its origins in Hindu philosophy and many residents of Kashmir are indifferent it. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP
While yoga is not itself a religious practice, it has its origins in Hindu philosophy and many residents of Kashmir are indifferent it. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP
TT

India's Modi Leads Yoga Day Celebration in Muslim-majority Kashmir

While yoga is not itself a religious practice, it has its origins in Hindu philosophy and many residents of Kashmir are indifferent it. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP
While yoga is not itself a religious practice, it has its origins in Hindu philosophy and many residents of Kashmir are indifferent it. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP

Stretching, arching his back and kneeling on a mat, India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi led hundreds of people performing yoga in the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir on Friday.
The exercises in Srinagar, capital of the Indian-administered part of the disputed territory, marked the 10th international yoga day, Modi's own brainchild, AFP said.
But while yoga is not itself a religious practice, it has its origins in Hindu philosophy and many residents of Kashmir are indifferent to the discipline.
Thousands of government employees, schoolteachers and students from all over Kashmir were brought in for the event, although rain forced Modi's performance indoors.
Afterwards, he urged hundreds of people including many police and armed forces personnel on the shores of Dal Lake to make yoga "a part of their daily lives".
"Yoga fosters strength, good health and wellness," he said.
But one Srinagar resident saw the event as a cultural intrusion.
"This yoga is being imposed on our children to culturally change the next generations and control their minds," they told AFP, declining to be identified for fear of reprisal.
"It's an imposition on us."
June 21 was declared International Yoga Day a decade ago and Modi has since led events at emblematic locations across India, and last year at the UN headquarters in New York.