Greece Named Guest of Honour at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair

The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (Nov 5–16, 2025) unites 2,350 publishers from 118 nations under the theme “Between You and a Book.

on Oct 16, 2025

Greece Named Guest of Honour at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair

The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) will be staged from November 5 to 16 at Expo Centre Sharjah with the slogan Between You and a Book. Organized by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the fair will unite 2,350 publishers and exhibitors from 118 nations.

The 2025 edition will have over 1,200 events and activities with 250 visitors coming from 66 countries. Ten countries, such as Iceland, Jamaica, Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Senegal and Vietnam, will participate in the fair for the first time.

Greece will be the Guest of Honour, with 70 attendees and a national pavilion with 600 titles from 58 publishers. The project will include literary debates, art exhibitions and performances reflecting the country's cultural heritage and contemporary creativity.

H.E. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of SBA, said the fair's theme captures the deeply personal connection between readers and books, reflecting the transformative power of the written word. He added that SIBF continues to reflect the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi and the leadership of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi in advancing Sharjah's global cultural role.

H.E. Panagiotis Kougiou, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Greece to the UAE, confirmed that Greece's involvement would enhance cultural exchange with the UAE through a rich program honoring the Greek language, literature and arts.

Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA) will provide extensive media coverage of the fair, with live TV and radio broadcasts on its networks. The coverage will feature live insertions from Expo Centre Sharjah, special programming on Sharjah TV and radio stations and daily updates through digital media.

H.E. Mohamed Al Amimi, General Manager of e& UAE, stated the company's ongoing collaboration as the event's official sponsor demonstrates its dedication to the promotion of culture and knowledge as vital foundations of social progress.

In line with General Coordinator Khoula Al Mujaini, the theme this year invites people to rediscover one's own relationship with books and ponder the power of reading on imagination and knowledge.

Mansour Al Hassani, SBA Publishing Services Director, explained the fair keeps on consolidating the publishing industry by bringing together professionals from across the globe with workshops, training sessions, and conferences dealing with innovation, translation rights, and digital transformation.

The cultural program will include over 300 sessions by 158 Arab and global speakers representing 40 nations, 66 international, 62 Arab and 30 Emirati guests. Authors like Mohammed Suleiman Abdulmalik, Abdulwahab Al-Refaie, Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quê Mai, Sangeeta Mehta and Lisa Dillman will conduct specialized writing, editing, and creative skills workshops.

This year's festival will also feature new interactive spaces: the Pop-Up Academy, with sessions with literary, media and tech figures; the UK Poetry Pharmacy, providing personalized poetry "prescriptions" in English and Arabic; and the Podcast Station, live recording sites for Arabic podcasts such as Asmar from Saudi Arabia, Karakpodcast from Oman and Kirsi Al Ithnayn from the UAE.

The schedule of the fair also features 85 performances from 12 nations, the Thriller Festival from November 8-11, the Cookery Corner with 15 chefs from 14 nations and a variety of cultural, literary and professional events aimed at engaging readers, writers and publishers.

SIBF 2025 is patronized by some partners, including e& (Official Partner), Arada (Development Partner), Invest Bank and Bank of Sharjah (Banking Partners), Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (Media Partner), Expo Centre Sharjah and Sharjah Airport (Strategic Partners), Trends (Knowledge Partner) and Central Finance (Fintech Partner).