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Third Edition of Almadinah Book Fair to Start on July 30

The Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission logo
The Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission logo
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Third Edition of Almadinah Book Fair to Start on July 30

The Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission logo
The Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission logo

The Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will organize the third edition of Almadinah Book Fair 2024 from July 30 to August 5.

More than 300 Arab and international publishing houses and agencies will take part in the fair, which features a diverse array of lectures, workshops, and seminars, with the participation of a select group of experts and intellectuals, enhancing the cultural and literary scene.

The commission's CEO, Dr. Mohammed Alwan, emphasized that the current edition of Almadinah Book Fair reflects the ongoing support the culture sector receives from the wise leadership.

He underscored the fair's significance in showcasing Madinah's rich cultural heritage and its contribution to the cultural movement, further solidifying the Kingdom's growing position in the publishing industry.

Alwan highlighted that the fair has evolved into a highly anticipated annual event and a prominent platform for knowledge that draws thousands of visitors. He emphasized the commission's commitment to offering an enriched and comprehensive knowledge experience in the new edition of the fair, catering to visitors of all ages.

He added that the fair aims to serve as a cultural platform that fosters a culture of reading among all members of society. It showcases the talents of Saudi writers and creators and draws in prominent writers and publishers from the Kingdom, the region, and the world.

This year's book fair provides a comprehensive cultural experience featuring the latest literary, knowledge, and scientific publications from hundreds of local, Arab, and international publishing houses. The event also incorporates the participation of various governmental and private cultural entities and community institutions and universities, showcasing their initiatives and highlighting their contributions. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with authors at the book signing corner.

The fair also dedicates an area for children, offering educational and skill-based activities and workshops designed to enhance their creative abilities.

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Culture

Thousands Greet the Winter Solstice at the Ancient Stonehenge Monument

A person holds up a smart phone as they wait for sunrise during the winter Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Anthony Upton)
A person holds up a smart phone as they wait for sunrise during the winter Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Anthony Upton)
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Thousands Greet the Winter Solstice at the Ancient Stonehenge Monument

A person holds up a smart phone as they wait for sunrise during the winter Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Anthony Upton)
A person holds up a smart phone as they wait for sunrise during the winter Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

Thousands of tourists, pagans, druids and people simply yearning for the promise of spring marked the dawn of the shortest day of the year at the ancient Stonehenge monument on Saturday.

Revelers cheered and beat drums as the sun rose at 8:09 a.m. (0809 GMT) over the giant standing stones on the winter solstice — the shortest day and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. No one could see the sun through the low winter cloud, but that did not deter a flurry of drumming, chanting and singing as dawn broke.

There will be less than eight hours of daylight in England on Saturday — but after that, the days get longer until the summer solstice in June.

The solstices are the only occasions when visitors can go right up to the stones at Stonehenge, and thousands are willing to rise before dawn to soak up the atmosphere.

The stone circle, whose giant pillars each took 1,000 people to move, was erected starting about 5,000 years ago by a sun-worshiping Neolithic culture, according to The AP. Its full purpose is still debated: Was it a temple, a solar calculator, a cemetery, or some combination of all three?

In a paper published in the journal Archaeology International, researchers from University College London and Aberystwyth University said the site on Salisbury Plain, about 128 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of London, may have had political as well as spiritual significance.

That follows from the recent discovery that one of Stonehenge’s stones — the unique stone lying flat at the center of the monument, dubbed the “altar stone” — originated in Scotland, hundreds of miles north of the site. Some of the other stones were brought from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales, nearly 240 kilometers (150 miles) to the west,

Lead author Mike Parker Pearson from UCL’s Institute of Archaeology said the geographical diversity suggests Stonehenge may have served as a “monument of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos.”