Istanbul Book Fair brings together Arabs and Turks culturally

Istanbul International Book Fair will conclude its fifth edition on Sunday at the Eurasia Convention Center in the Yeni Kappi area of ​​the city center, with more than 200 publishing houses from 15 countries participating.

Although most of the pioneers of the exhibition - which started a week ago - are Arabs living in Turkey, it has witnessed a distinct presence of Turks who learn or read Arabic and follow the Arab publishing movement.

Among the countries participating in the exhibition under the slogan "The Book brings us together" Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Iran and other Arab countries, and some publishing houses have offered educational books for the Arabic language and publications for children and young people in Arabic.

Translation and Culture
In recent years, the Turkish government has stepped up its approach to learning Arabic. More than one million students are learning this language in schools of imams and preachers, in addition to the opening of several university disciplines in Arabic, both public and private.

Bashar Shabaro, the Lebanese publisher and secretary general of the Arab Publishers Union, said in press statements on Friday the importance of translating Turkish books and works into Arabic.

A large number of Arabic books have been translated into Turkish, while few books are translated from Turkish into Arabic, he said.

"In fact, translated books are of great importance to us Arabs, and translations of written works should be increased, especially during the Ottoman period," he said, expressing hope that the Istanbul International Book Fair will grow to a higher level in the coming years.

He pointed to the increasing demand for Arabic books in Turkey, especially in light of the circumstances experienced by Syria and other Arab countries, as well as the rising number of Turks interested in Arabic, adding that "the Arab Publishers Union encourages any work that increases the cohesion between the Turkish-speaking and the Arabic language." .

"There is a large Arab presence in Turkey, in addition to schools learning Arabic, so they need books, and this Arab community needs books, schools need books, and there is interest from the Turks in Arabic as well."

Arab publishing houses
The exhibition is sponsored by the Turkish Publishers Association, the Turkish Publishers Association and the International Association of Arab Book Publishers with the support of the Anatolian Agency and Radio Misk.

Participated in the exhibition Dar Al-Saqi and Dar Al-Farabi Lebanese, the Center for Arab Unity Studies, the Center for Civilization, the Egyptian House of Peace, the Cultural Center for writers from Morocco, and other Arab publishing houses, in addition to Turkish publishing houses print Arabic books.

Some pioneers of the exhibition criticized the hectic desire for profit that dominates the culture and publishing industry, while publishers talked about the difficulties of printing, shipping and participation in exhibitions.

"We call the book the world of culture. When there is a political difference, we try to keep good cultural relations between all countries, so that the book can be a means to bring the Islamic Ummah back," said the exhibition's general coordinator, Mohamed Agri Aggah.

"The largest Arab cultural event in Turkey, and the largest international book fair outside the Arab world, will be held at the same venue as last year," said Suhaib al-Falahi, spokesman for the exhibition.