Sharjah International Book Fair 2024 attracts 1.82 million visitors in landmark event
The 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2024) concluded on Sunday after receiving 1.82 million visitors from over 200 countries.
SIBF 2024 was held from November 6 to 17 under the theme ‘It Starts with a Book’, the event hosted over 2,500 publishers and exhibitors from 112 countries, maintaining its position as the world’s top book fair in publishing rights transactions for the fourth consecutive year, registering 3,000 meetings in 48 hours.
Visitor profile
UAE, India, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan are among the nationalities that visited the book fair.
Regarding age groups, visitors between 35 and 44 constituted the most significant segment at 32.18%, followed by those aged 25 to 34 at 31.67% and young adults aged 18 to 24 at 13.7%.
Men accounted for 53.66% of the book fair’s visitors, while women represented 46.36%. Additionally, the exhibition welcomed 135,000 students from various schools nationwide.
The Book Signing Corner saw over 1,000 authors unveil their latest works.
read also – Steven Bartlett at SIBF 2024: From business success to fatherhood dreams
His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, underscored the emirate’s cultural commitment by allocating Dh 4.5 million to enrich public and governmental libraries. This investment enabled the acquisition of new Arabic and international titles, reinforcing libraries’ role as essential knowledge hubs.
‘Cultural ecosystem’
Reflecting on the 43rd edition, Ahmed Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), said:
“The exceptional milestones achieved during SIBF 2024 mark a significant addition to Sharjah’s cultural journey. Welcoming 1.82 million visitors and hosting over 2,500 publishers and exhibitors from across the globe has elevated the event from a book fair to a dynamic and thriving book community. It is now a fully-fledged cultural ecosystem, bringing together creators, readers, and all key stakeholders in the literary and publishing sectors.”
In response to a question from our news portal, Al Ameri said that they are trying to reach out to the European communities living here and are also trying to create multilingualism. He stressed that the interest from Europeans is also growing every year, and the selection of the invited guests is also made to include writers and poets of interest to Europeans and Americans.
Publishers from Ukraine, Serbia and Austria, Hungary’s neighbours, and a Slovenian chef were also present, so CEE was represented, and Daily News Hungary and Helló Magyar represented the Hungarian press.
Milestones crossed
The fair spotlighted Algerian author Ahlam Mosteghanemi as the Cultural Personality of the Year for her contributions to Arabic literature. It also celebrated the completion of the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language, a 127-volume achievement that preserves centuries of linguistic heritage, produced through collaboration with Arabic language academies.
Morocco took centre stage as the Guest of Honour, offering a showcase of its literary and cultural heritage. Its pavilion featured over 4,000 titles, rare artefacts, and sessions led by Moroccan intellectuals, adding depth to the cross-cultural dialogues hosted throughout the fair.
Leading figures
This year’s programme featured a diverse lineup of global icons from literature, arts, and sports, including Egyptian composer Omar Khairat, football legend Mohamed Salah, and actor Ahmed Ezz. Visitors engaged in discussions with celebrated figures such as poet Hisham El Gakh, author Stephen Bartlett, and actor Hamza Ali Abbasi.
Alexander den Heijer, Dutch speaker, trainer and writer, gave a very inspiring presentation to the audience. He said that his life coaching advice came from the heart and he tried to capture the essence in his two books. At the end of the talk on meditation and values-based living, he said, in response to a question from our news site, that meditation is good to do anywhere, but nature is the place to do it, so he also goes on retreats when he wants to do some serious meditation. He added that nature can be a desert or a forest, it doesn’t matter, the point is to meditate.
read also – Mohamed Salah on SIBF 2024: 90% of my success comes from what I’ve learned through reading