18th Erbil International Book Fair to Open Wednesday with Over 400 Publishers

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The 18th Erbil International Book Fair is set to open on Wednesday under the slogan “I Am Kurdistani,” bringing together more than 400 publishing houses and book-related institutions from 18 countries to showcase over one million titles.

The fair, held under the supervision of President Masoud Barzani, will run until October 31 at the Erbil International Fairgrounds inside Sami Abdulrahman Park.

Ehab Qaisi, director of the Erbil International Book Fair, told Kurdistan24 that the opening ceremony would be attended by writers, intellectuals, and diplomats.

Participants from 18 Arab and foreign countries will present books covering literature, philosophy, history, science, and other fields of knowledge in various languages.

The 10-day event will also feature 90 cultural and artistic activities, including seminars, panel discussions, poetry readings, musical evenings, and book-signing sessions with authors presenting their latest works.

Readers will benefit from discounts of up to and exceeding 50 percent on selected titles, providing opportunities to purchase books at reduced prices and meet authors, intellectuals, and publishing industry representatives.

Aryan Salahaddin, deputy minister of culture and youth in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), told Kurdistan24 that participating publishers must offer discounts based on the size of their booth spaces.

“Any publishing house with an allocated booth space larger than 18 square meters must offer customers and readers a 50 percent discount on book prices. However, publishers with smaller allocated spaces will offer lower discounts,” Salahaddin said.

The deputy minister added that four to five specialized intellectual panels would be held daily, addressing subjects including literature, translation, peaceful coexistence, technological development, and artificial intelligence, with experts and intellectuals from several countries taking part.

Salahaddin said the ministry’s strategic objective was to establish reading as an enduring part of everyday life in the Kurdistan Region.

“Our strategic goal is for citizens to remain familiar with reading and for reading to become a daily tradition and culture in the Kurdistan Region. We do not want society to become disconnected from books and knowledge, because every society advances through science and reading,” he said.

The fair is organized by the Mada Foundation for Media, Culture, and Arts, in cooperation with the KRG Ministry of Culture and Youth, the General Union of Literati and Writers in Iraq, and the Iraqi Publishers Association.

The fair will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., welcoming readers, researchers, and visitors throughout the event.