SALALAH: Logos Hope, the world's largest floating book fair, began a weeklong port call at the Port of Salalah on Friday. Its landmark visit coincided with the Khareef season underway in Dhofar Governorate.
Thousands of visitors and book lovers have been flocking to the vessel, which will remain in the harbour until August 4, 2023.
Speaking at the celebrated ship's arrival at the port on Friday, His Highness Sayyid Marwan bin Turki al Said, Governor of Dhofar, hailed the visit as an added "cultural" dimension to the Khareef season currently enjoyed by thousands of tourists and residents.
Speaking about the Logos Hope, the Governor said the book collection on board the ship is varied and covers a wide range of scientific and cultural topics. He said the library is an opportunity for young people, families, and researchers to learn about different cultures.
HH Sayyid Marwan also noted that the library contains books in Arabic and many other languages. He said that this is important because it allows people from all over the world to access the library's resources.
He concluded by thanking the organisers of the floating library for bringing this valuable resource to Dhofar. He said that he hopes that the library will continue to be a popular destination for visitors to the region.
The Logos Hope's port call at Salalah is the latest in a wider tour that has taken the ship to a number of Arab, Gulf, and African ports, as well as stops in various international ports according to a two-year sailing schedule. The ship had previously visited Oman in 2011 and 2013.
There was a great demand to visit the ship, whether from residents of different nationalities or Omani citizens. In the early hours of opening the number of people reached more than 1,000.
The ship was built in 1973 and has been renovated, transferred, and operated at various intervals since 1983. It was launched in its current form in 2009 and is operated by a German charity within the (Books for All) initiative. The ship is one of the largest floating book fairs in the world and has visited over 160 countries.
One visitor to the ship said, "Most of the books on display cater to readers of different ages and are offered at low prices compared to the prices in book fairs. I particularly liked the encyclopedias, although most of them are in English." Another visitor said, "Many of the publications that concern children are educational, especially in learning English, as well as valuable educational books in various sciences, arts, and literature, including world-famous stories." He added: "The Logos Hope ship is a unique and valuable resource for people of all ages and nationalities. It is a great place to find books on a wide range of topics, and the prices are very reasonable. I highly recommend visiting the ship if you have the opportunity." Logos Hope is open to the public from 1600 to 2200 hrs, Mondays to Saturdays. The ship is closed to visitors on Sundays. The entrance fee is RO 0.500.
(Photo by Almuhallab Mohammed al Maamari)
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