The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair marked its opening with a visit by Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office.
On Sunday afternoon, Sheikh Khalid inaugurated the fair, which is taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
Sheikh Khalid, who is also Chairman of the Executive Committee in the UAE and a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, toured several local, Arab and international pavilions and booths of publishing houses participating in the exhibition. He also made a special point to stop by the pavilion of Germany, which is the guest of honour for this year's fair.
During his tour, Sheikh Khalid stressed the importance of initiatives, such as the fair, for the role they play in the convergence of cultures.
His visit coincided with an announcement by his father, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, allocating Dh6 million to buy books and educational materials for UAE schools. The books are set to be purchased from the 500,000 titles available at the fair.
The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, now in its 30th iteration, will be running until Saturday and boasts one of its strongest programmes to date.
Several literary heavyweights and key cultural figures are scheduled to appear at the event, including An American Marriage author Tayari Jones and British historian Bettany Hughes, as well as Dr Omar Al Hammadi, vice president of the Emirates International Medicine Association, and Zaki Nusseibeh, cultural adviser to the President.
Like most other cultural events taking place during the pandemic, the book fair has adopted a hybrid approach this year. Several stringent safety measures have been put in place at Adnec in response to the pandemic.
Only vaccinated people are allowed inside the book fair and visitors must also show a negative PCR test result. Entry with registration only and below 17 are not allowed.
