Cairo: Amid widespread acclaim for Doha’s cultural contributions, Egypt’s Minister of Culture Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno officially handed over the “Guest of Honor” mantle for the 58th Cairo International Book Fair (2027) to Qatar’s Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States H E Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Thani.
The ceremony took place during the closing events of the 57th edition of the fair, which launched on January 21 under the theme “One who stops reading for an hour falls centuries behind.” This year’s edition featured Romania as the Guest of Honor and saw a distinguished participation from the Qatari Ministry of Culture alongside several Qatari publishing houses.
In this context, Director of the Libraries Department at the Ministry of Culture and Director of the Doha International Book Fair Jassim Ahmed Al Buainain confirmed to Qatar News Agency (QNA) the Ministry’s full readiness for the upcoming role.
He emphasised that the Cairo International Book Fair remains one of the Arab world’s premier events in terms of international participation, publishing volume, and its prestigious cultural program.
Al Buainain noted that the 58th edition is set to be exceptional, adding that Qatar’s robust presence in the current session reflects ongoing efforts to bolster the nation’s footprint on regional and global cultural stages, raise awareness of its heritage, and highlight Doha’s growing contributions to the global cultural movement.
Director General of Qatar’s Dar Al Kutub and First Vice-President of the Arab Publishers Association Ibrahim Al Bohashem Al Sayed described the designation as a “crowning achievement” for Qatar’s consistent and distinguished involvement in the fair.
He highlighted Cairo’s fair as one of the oldest and largest in the world, maintaining its prestige since its inception in 1969 as part of the elite circuit of Arab fairs, alongside Beirut (1951), Baghdad (1957), and Doha (1972).
President of the Arab Publishers Association Mohamed Rashad also praised the selection, noting that Qatar’s pavilion this year offered an impressive display of the nation’s literature and intellectual thought.
