During the past ten years, the number of Arab residents in Turkey has become noticeable, especially of Syrian origin.
The influence of the Arab community residing in Turkey is not limited to the spread of Arab restaurants or the accustoming to seeing Arab clothes in daily life in Istanbul or other Turkish cities such as Bursa and Trabzon, but also contributed to making Turkey one of the important centers of Arab thought, culture and art, where it is held annually Many political, intellectual, academic and cultural events related to the Arab world.
This is not surprising, given that Turkey has become a haven for the intellectual elite in the Arab world, especially after the "Arab Spring".
The number of Arab immigrants hosted by Turkey exceeds 5 million people, and the total number of the Arab community reaches about 10 million, by calculating the Turks of Arab origin residing mainly in Anatolia, where they settled there more than a thousand years ago.
As we mentioned earlier on several occasions, the number of Arab immigrants in Turkey exceeds the number of Arab immigrants to Arab countries.
This exhibition hosted all kinds of literary and intellectual works, from Arabic, Iranian and Saudi books to modern and historical works from the Maghreb and Tunisia.
In fact, it is hard to find this much diversity in any Arab country.
When Turkey talks about the affairs of the Arab world, some member states of the Arab League describe it as interference in the internal affairs of the Arabs, but the percentage of Arabs in Turkey gives it the right to speak on their behalf in any case.
Along with these developments, the Arabic language has become important in Turkey.
Perhaps this is confirmed by the organization of the sixth edition of the "Istanbul International Arab Book Fair", which this year recorded the participation of about 250 publishers from 23 different countries.
The exhibition was organized in cooperation with the Press and Publishing Association, the Turkish Association of Printing and Publishing Professionals, and the International Association of Arabic Book Publishers.
Istanbul International Arab Book Fair is the largest Arab fair organized outside the Arab world in terms of the number of publishers and visitors, and it is also one of the best exhibitions held in the Arab world in terms of the diversity of books and ideas, especially in light of the inability of many writers and publishers to attend major exhibitions that are held in many Arab countries.
Currently, the Istanbul Fair is the most suitable environment for publishers because it provides freedom and a fertile environment for the development of Arab culture and creativity.
For this exhibition, the title "Fly with Knowledge" was chosen, and it is based on the idea that knowledge and thought give man wings that make him free and open to new horizons.
Even in the absence of a free environment, books contribute to liberating minds, breaking restrictions and opening closed doors.
The Arab Book Fair was held in Istanbul to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Arab Spring, which has several connotations.
Istanbul is the safe haven for many who have fled human rights abuses and political pressures hoping to liberate their homelands.
The intellectual and ideological diversity - which characterized the publishing houses in this exhibition - is a reflection of freedom of opinion and expression in Turkey.
This exhibition hosted all kinds of literary and intellectual works, from Arabic, Iranian and Saudi books to modern and historical works from the Maghreb and Tunisia.
In fact, it is hard to find this much diversity in any Arab country.
Istanbul is a very important intellectual center, especially for Arab thought, a fact that is becoming clearer than before.
Several Arab publishing houses have opened branches in Istanbul.
In Istanbul, there are about 50 publishing houses that publish in Arabic, targeting Arabs residing in Istanbul, Turks speaking Arabic, and all over the Arab world.
Istanbul represents a reforming center for Arab-Islamic thought and a source of inspiration for intellectual renaissance.
Many authors met their audience during seminars or signing parties, and all the well-known publishers in the Arab world participated in the exhibition.
The exhibition also provided a platform for projects of translating prominent works from Arabic into Turkish or vice versa, and since the exhibition's inception, hundreds of works have been translated.
According to the statement of the Secretary-General of the Arab Broadcasting Union Bashar Shapiro - in his opening speech at the exhibition - the exhibition represented a bridge of communication between two worlds and two languages.
It is necessary to mention the incentives - which were not provided previously - aimed at improving and developing the cultural scene in the country.
Thousands of works have been translated from Turkish into other languages, thanks to this program that encourages translation of works of Turkish authors into Arabic and other languages.