Doha: Director of the Doha International Book Fair Jassim Ahmed Al Buainain announced that the 34th edition of the fair, opening on May 8, will be the largest in its history in terms of participation. There will be 522 publishing houses from 43 countries, including 11 from the State of Palestine, this year's Guest of Honor, as well as significant contributions from various ministries, government and private institutions, and embassies. According to Qatar News Agency, the Ministry of Culture stated that the fair will launch the inaugural Professional Literary Exchange Program, designed to enhance literary cooperation, exchange publishing rights, and support translation efforts between Qatar and the international literary community. The winners of the Doha International Book Fair Awards for Publisher and Author will also be revealed, with categories including Outstanding Publisher (Local and International), Outstanding Children's Book Publisher (Local and International), Creative Writer, and Young Qatari Write r. The main stage at the fair will host a series of cultural and literary seminars featuring leading Arab intellectuals, while the Cultural Salon will offer discussion sessions and book-launch events. Two halls will be dedicated to workshops on cultural topics, and the fair's publications guide will list around 166,000 titles. For the first time, the fair will feature the Halabouni Book Market libraries from Syria, showcasing valuable books, alongside participation from several UK publishers. The children's area and theater will host a program of cultural and interactive activities, displaying publications from houses specializing in children's literature and educational books. Al Buainain highlighted the fair's public services, including a Reading Guide service, a helpdesk, a porter service, and free public parking. He encouraged everyone to visit the fair to benefit from this cultural, intellectual, and literary event, its program of activities organized by the Ministry of Culture, and the opportunity to interact directly with authors, publishers, and intellectuals from Qatar and beyond. The fair is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on Fridays from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The Doha International Book Fair is one of the oldest and largest international book fairs in the region, known for its strong participation of Gulf, Arab, and international publishers. It began in 1972 under the Qatar National Library, initially held every two years, and has been annual since 2002. It gained an international reputation by attracting major publishers worldwide, growing from 20 at its inception to over 500 representing 40 countries today. Since 2010, each edition has featured a Guest of Honor country: starting with the United States, followed by Turkey, Iran, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, France, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and this year, the State of Palestine.