More than 100 thousand books at Harkul fair in Qamishli
Qamishli – North-Press Agency
Abbas Ali Mousa
The annual Harkul Book Fair in Qamishli has started on Saturday morning, in the 3rd annual edition with the participation of 43 publishing houses, libraries, institutions, and cultural gatherings.
The annual book fair, entitled “A Society Reads is A Developed Society” sponsored by Culture Body in al-Jazira region (an administrative division comprising Qamishli and Hasakah districts). The exhibition displays more than 100 thousand books, and more than 8,000 titles in Arabic and Kurdish languages, as the third edition witnesses the presence of some Kurdish publishing houses from Turkey and the KRG.
Abboud Makhso, a member of the preparatory committee of the exhibition told North-Press that they could attract the attention of the Kurdish publishing houses in Turkey, “Five publishing houses from Turkey are present, in addition to some others from Damascus and the Kurdistan Regional Government,” he said.
The book fair, which will last for six days, includes lectures, panel discussions and workshops, and the signing of some books.
For her part, Naima Murad, a member of the Preparatory Committee, told North-Press that preparations for the book fair lasted about six months.
Mahmoud Jeqmaqi, a writer from Afrin, who participated in the book fair by a collection of stories entitled “Red Olives”, said that the fair is considered “an important step as a cultural forum that supports the cultural movement in general,” pointing out that the book fair in its third edition has witnessed the participation of new local and regional publishing houses, and the turnout is good in its first day in terms of attendance and visitors.
It’s noteworthy that Harkul Book Fair is being held for the third consecutive year, and is named “Harkul” in remembrance memory of the Kurdish writer Hussein Shawish, who lost his life in a car accident on 20 July 2016.