As the Arab League Summit started and ended in Algeria earlier this week, Sheikh Sultan Al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah, has launched the 41st edition of the largest book fair in the world at Expo Center Sharjah, few meters from the first elementary school established in 1961, in the Kalba region. The school was named after the Algerian resistance symbol, Djamila Bouhired, who fought against the French colonization of her country.
The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) has returned after the two-year pandemic, in full capacity under the theme “Spread the Word”, hosting 2,213 publishers from 95 countries, including 1,298 Arab and 915 foreign publishers.
This year’s edition of SIBF has seen a remarkable participation from Syria. Most Syrian publishers have attended the event, which according to one publisher, is an opportunity and a window to engage with the Arab region and the world, amidst the awful war and internal conflicts their country has seen in the past 10 year. The publisher believes that Syrians have always been among the best actors in the Arabic and cultural field.
SIBF has launched 36 new volumes of the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language, which document nine Arabic letters. As described by the Ruler of Sharjah, this corpus is not like other dictionaries that explain and define the meanings of Arabic words, but a “record of this nation, its history, poetry, anecdotes, and proverbs, starting with the old, historic inscriptions, to all the Arabic historic phases, and the modern era.”
“The Sharjah International Book Fair has a history that spans 40 over years, during which it has accomplished myriads of achievements,” said Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, the chairman of Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).
“Publishing is like no other industry. It’s based on continuous connections and regular meetings that contribute to establishing sturdy bridges,” he added, noting that the emirate hosted 1,041 publisher and literary agents in the Publishers Conference.
SIBF also hosts 150 esteemed Arab and foreign writers, intellectuals, innovators from 15 countries who will partake in 1,500 diverse events and panels, including 200 cultural activities, workshops, and speeches that highlight their creative experiences in all kinds of writing.
The fair has also dedicated a section for rare Arabic and Islamic manuscripts dating to hundreds of years, including some from the 7th century of Hijra, in collaboration with Italy’s Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Biblioteca Ambrosiana, in line with hosting Italy as SIBF’s guest of honor this year.
Some of the published manuscripts feature verses from the Holy Quran that were copied during the 15th and 16th centuries AD, some are engraved and gilded, while others have more simple designs. Among the manuscripts is also a 17th century cosmology manuscript titled ‘Miracles of Existence’.
Another work on display is part of Firuzabadi’s Al Qamus Al Muhit — one of the most acclaimed Arabic dictionaries from 828 of Hijra. A 13th century manuscript by Makki bin Abi Talib Al Quaisi on the sciences of the Quran titled “Uncovering the Faces of the Seven Readings” from 678 of Hijra, which is the oldest manuscript at the exhibition.
