Riyadh: The Oman pavilion at the Riyadh International Book Fair, which ended on Saturday, drew hundreds of visitors eager to know about civilisation, culture and history of the Sultanate of Oman. They are also interested in buying and reading Omani novels and publications, according to officials and representatives of various entities at the pavilion. The Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honour of the fair with the participation of 15 governmental and private entities.
Jassim bin Mohammed al Riyami of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth said: "The demand from visitors to the exhibition is very large, adding that there is a passion among Saudi readers to learn about the history of the Sultanate of Oman, especially its relationship with Zanzibar."
Abdulaziz bin Mubarak al Rahbi from the Omani Society of Writers and literati confirmed that there is a great interest from the Saudi public in learning about the Omani history and purchasing novels by Omani writers.
Al Azhar bin Yousef al Rashidi from the Oman Memory Centre said the centre is concerned with Omani historical studies and research and is under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. He said a large number of readers from Saudi Arabia flocked to the centre’s pavilion to learn about Oman's values of coexistence and tolerance.
Ahmed bin Mubarak al Rawahi, an Omani publisher, said there was a great demand from visitors to the Riyadh International Book Fair to purchase Omani publications, especially those related to religion, culture and history.
On the sidelines of the book fair, a poetry recital was held with the participation of a number of poets, including Fahd al Saadi, Saqr bin Abdullah al Mazrouei, Saleh al Shadi, and Sulaiman al Mana. The evening was moderated by Noura al Badiyah.
In “Life Through the Lens” symposium, Omani photographer Haitham bin Khamis al Farsi participated along with a number of Saudi photographers. It highlighted the history of the camera in the Arab world, the skills necessary to learn professional photography, and its importance.
The Riyadh International Book Fair is organised by the Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Authority and comes under the slogan “An Inspiring Destination” at the headquarters of King Saud University in Riyadh. Over 1,800 publishing houses from 32 countries took part in the fair.
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