There are 7,000 new titles at the Saudi pavilion at the Cairo Book Fair this year, according to Muhammad Al-Aqeel, the Saudi Cultural Attaché in Egypt. He said that his office had asked government and private agencies participating at the book fair to display their latest publications, including books on Arab and Islamic heritage. “There are 66 Saudi participants at the 42nd Cairo Book Fair, which would continue until Feb. 13. Of these, 26 are government authorities while 40 are private publication houses. We have noticed a growth in the number of participating agencies. The demand is increasing because of the respect Arab readers have for Saudi books,” said Al-Aqeel. He said there were a number of reasons for the surge in demand. This includes the subject matter of many publications which cover the roots of the Arab and Muslim nations. Also there are modern publications on various branches of the Arabic language, various Islamic studies, master's and doctorate theses, and a great variety of literature, both prose and poetry. The subject matter covers all fields of knowledge including science and technology research conducted by Saudi scientists and academics. This is in addition to the beautiful appearance and high quality printing, he said.
