Cairo International Book Fair draws thousands in tribute to Mahfouz

CAIRO – Visitors began flocking on Thursday to the 57th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair, held at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre, with events continuing until February 3. This year’s fair is the largest in the event’s history, featuring 1,457 publishing houses from 83 countries, and drawing unprecedented crowds eager to explore the wealth of literature on display.

From the earliest hours, young people dominated the queues at ticket windows and entry gates, coinciding with the start of Egypt’s mid-year school and university holiday.

Organised by the Egyptian General Book Organisation, the fair carries the slogan, “He who stops reading for an hour falls behind for centuries,” a quotation from the late Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006), who has been chosen as this year’s featured figure to mark 20 years since his passing.

Honouring Naguib Mahfouz

The celebration of Mahfouz is reflected in a comprehensive programme including intellectual panels, film screenings and diverse artistic activities. Among the highlights is the exhibition “Naguib Mahfouz Through the Eyes of the World,” which showcases 40 artworks by creators from different countries, in collaboration with the Egyptian Caricature Society.

“Mahfouz lives in the memory, mind and conscience of our nation at all times. We must continually deepen his study and understanding, and enrich our readings of his work,” said President of the Egyptian Publishers Association Farid Zahran.

In conjunction with the fair, the organisers launched the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Arab Novels, valued at 500,000 Egyptian pounds (approximately $10,000), alongside a youth competition inviting participants to redesign the covers of the author’s works.

Romania serves as the guest of honour this year, commemorating 120 years of diplomatic relations with Egypt in 2026. The Romanian pavilion presents a rich cultural programme of 30 events, involving 60 guests, including 15 artists and 10 publishing houses, enhancing international cultural dialogue.

In total, the fair’s cultural programme features around 400 events, 100 book signings and 120 artistic activities, with participation from 170 Arab and international guests, alongside more than 1,500 intellectuals and creators from across Egypt.

Panels, debates and intellectual engagement

On the first day, the fair hosted a panel titled “The Aesthetics of Place: The City in the World of Naguib Mahfouz,” featuring poet and novelist Ahmed Fadl Shablool, historian Ayman Fouad Sayyid, journalist Hassan Hafez and researcher Nadia Taha. Another session focused on the book “War of Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence Versus Human Intelligence,” authored by Laurent Alexandre and translated by Mohamed Saif, highlighting contemporary debates in technology and society.

The fair was officially inaugurated on Wednesday by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, in the presence of Culture Minister Ahmed Fouad Hanno, Arab Publishers’ Union President Mohamed Rashad and Romanian Culture Minister Andras Istvan Demeter. The Romanian delegation’s presence marks the 120th anniversary of Egypt-Romania diplomatic relations. The ceremony was conducted on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

This edition also commemorates the centenaries of several cultural and artistic icons, including director Youssef Chahine, writer Edward Kharat, visual artist Aida Abdel-Kareem, and thinker Murad Wahba. The Cairo International Book Fair, launched in 1969, remains the largest and oldest literary fair in the Middle East, serving as a major platform for promoting reading and culture in the region.

Scale, participation and national pride

Minister Hanno highlighted that this edition is the largest in the fair’s history, both in terms of participation and cultural content. With 1,457 publishing houses from 83 countries and over 6,600 exhibitors, the event showcases unprecedented diversity and scope.

During a tour of the fair, Hanno and Madbouly visited the Egyptian Ministry of Defence pavilion, dedicated this year to the memory of former Abd Rab el-Nabi Hafez, who oversaw the final withdrawal of Israeli forces from Sinai in 1982 and passed away in March 2022 at the age of 92.

The delegation also visited the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics pavilion, where chiarman Khairat Barakat briefed them on Egypt’s population growth, which reached 108,618,000, an increase of 1,320,000 since January 2025.