'Riyadh Reads' is the Motto of Riyadh International Book Fair 2024

The motto aims to emphasize the importance of reading in enhancing the quality of life and broadening the intellectual and cultural horizons of readers
The motto aims to emphasize the importance of reading in enhancing the quality of life and broadening the intellectual and cultural horizons of readers
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'Riyadh Reads' is the Motto of Riyadh International Book Fair 2024

The motto aims to emphasize the importance of reading in enhancing the quality of life and broadening the intellectual and cultural horizons of readers
The motto aims to emphasize the importance of reading in enhancing the quality of life and broadening the intellectual and cultural horizons of readers

The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission has announced the motto for the Riyadh International Book Fair (RIBF) as "Riyadh Reads."

The fair, organized by the commission, will be held from September 26 to October 5 at King Saud University, with the participation of leading figures in culture, literature, and thought from the Kingdom, the region, and the world.

The motto aims to emphasize the importance of reading in enhancing the quality of life and broadening the intellectual and cultural horizons of readers. It also highlights Riyadh as a city that promotes reading, featuring images of people holding books and reading with the words "Riyadh Reads," reflecting the spirit of the fair and expressing its cultural, intellectual, and literary content.

An awareness campaign for the RIBF motto was launched to attract the attention of the public, including adults, adolescents, children, readers, and publishers. The campaign includes billboards in the streets of Riyadh and King Khalid International Airport featuring images of people holding books with the slogan "Riyadh Reads."
Over 2,000 publishing houses and agencies from the Kingdom, the region, and the world will participate in this year's fair, distributed across 800 pavilions and representing over 30 countries. This reflects the significant importance of the RIBF as one of the most prominent and important book fairs at the regional and global levels.

The new edition of the fair offers a rich cultural program that includes over 200 events suitable for all ages. The events encompass various seminars, panel discussions, lectures, poetry evenings, and workshops presented by a select group of writers, intellectuals, and cultural figures from Saudi Arabia and other countries.

The topics discussed will cover various fields, and the outdoor area of the fair will feature numerous interactive shows and distinctive cultural, artistic, and theatrical events presented by a group of artists and theater professionals.



Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
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Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)

Egypt opened a series of galleries to the public on Tuesday in its flagship new museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located near the pyramids of Giza.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly last week announced a "trial opening" ahead of a formal inauguration. Egyptian officials say a number of world leaders have expressed interest in attending the official opening but have not indicated when this will take place.

Pharaonic statues are showcased at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

The museum's main entrance hall with its stairway of Pharaonic statues and an annex for commercial shopping opened to the public in February 2023.

Ali Abu Al-Shish, a member of the Egyptian Archaeologists Union who attended Tuesday's opening of almost a dozen galleries, said the trial operation of the vast museum was evidence Egypt now had the space to exhibit its antiquities, including those being returned by Western states and museums.

It's an "important message that we can recover our antiquities, which are spread across various countries in the world," he said.

Visiting Russian tourist Kseniia Muse said: "We are so happy to be here, to have visited these beautiful sculptures... It is very modern and at the same time you can touch the ancient."

Pharaonic statues are displayed at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Tourism is an important source of foreign currency revenue for Egypt. The government has been trying to increase tourist numbers after facing a long-running foreign currency shortage that was exacerbated by external shocks.

Until now, Egypt's most famous collections have been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has been largely unmodernized and unrenovated since opening in 1902.