Cairo: The Ministry of Culture, through its pavilion at the 57th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF), organized today a seminar discussing the book "The History of Book Fairs in the State of Qatar" by author Mishari Ali Al Namlan.

According to Qatar News Agency, Al Namlan explained that the book, published under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, traces the beginnings of book fairs in Qatar and the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the idea, starting with the Doha International Book Fair, which was launched in 1972. He highlighted the fair's symbolic, cultural, and historical significance, emphasizing that the Doha International Book Fair, inaugurated more than five decades ago, is considered the first book fair in the Gulf region and the third Arab book fair, following those of Cairo and Beirut.

Al Namlan noted that the launch of the Doha International Book Fair was preceded by an active cultural and intellectual publishing movement in Qatar. This movement began when the Founder of the State, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, personally financed the printing of a number of books, including poetry collections, jurisprudence texts, Hadith compilations, and works on Quranic sciences and interpretation. Al Namlan described this initiative as the foundational nucleus of Qatar's modern history in fostering interest in books through publishing, printing, distribution, and gifting to scholars and students of knowledge.

He added that the presence of such intellectual activity prior to the establishment of the book fair ensured the strong success of the first edition of the Doha International Book Fair. He further explained that the existence of public libraries in Qatar also contributed to nurturing cultural engagement and attachment to books, beginning with the establishment of the Qatar National Library's predecessor, which originated from the Al-Maaref Library and the Doha Public Library before their merger into this longstanding cultural institution.