SHARJAH, 4th November, 2026 (WAM) — H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), toured the exhibitors’ pavilions at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on Wednesday morning.
The fair runs from 4th to 15th November at Expo Centre Sharjah.
Their Highnesses walked the halls to meet the institutions, government bodies and publishers among the 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries taking part in this 12-day edition.
They began at the pavilion of the Sultanate of Oman, this year’s Guest of Honour. Staff gave them a detailed briefing on Oman’s participation and showed the main cultural and heritage publications on display, which draw on the sultanate’s traditions and customs.
Their Highnesses were also told about the activities Oman will stage during the fair.
Sharjah Police presented “Writer of the Future”, an initiative that looks for literary talent among young people. Its training programme teaches them to write stories with a purpose and to build their creative writing skills, while encouraging positive values. It has produced three winning stories.
Their Highnesses also viewed the “Smart Adaptive Learning” platform. It uses artificial intelligence to analyse student performance, identify each learner’s level and strengths, and set lessons, exercises and tests accordingly.
They also stopped at the pavilions of the Ministry of Culture, the National Media Authority, the Sharjah Identity platform, the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, the Emirates Publishers Association and the House of Wisdom.
Their route took in the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre, the Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association, the American University of Sharjah and the University of Sharjah (UoS).
They also visited the Emirates Writers’ Union, the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, the pavilions of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait, Al Qasimi Publications and the Emirates Council for Books for Young People.
At the Judicial Council pavilion, Their Highnesses saw recent titles from the Sharjah Institute for Judicial Sciences. One is an edition of the personal status law in Braille, produced for blind law students.
The stand also showed initiatives and new publications from the Judicial Department and the Public Prosecution, along with knowledge projects such as “Athar”.
This year’s exhibitors are offering more than 1.7 million titles in many languages, spanning literature, thought, science and children’s books. Arab and international publishers share the halls with government institutions and departments, which are presenting their latest publications and cultural initiatives.
Source: Emirates News Agency
