Minister of Culture participates in opening of Doha International Book Fair

Doha: Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, today took part in the opening of Doha International Book Fair, which is being held at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center from 14 to 23 May 2026.

During his tour of the book fair, Sayyid Saud listened to a briefing about prominent intellectual, literary and scientific publications. He also visited the Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion, represented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and the National Records and Archives Authority, in addition to other Omani, GCC and Arab publishing houses. The Minister commended the diversity of cultural and intellectual items on show at the book fair.

The book fair boasts large scale participation from 36 countries and features the exhibits of more than 515 publishing houses and participating bodies that have tangible presence across 910 pavilions.

Doha International Book Fair figures among major annual cultural events in the region. It attracts thousands of visitors and representatives of the publishing industry establishments. It forms an important platform for promoting cultural and intellectual communication among publishing houses, intellectuals and readers from different countries of the world.

On the sidelines of the opening of the book fair, Sayyid Saud conferred with some officials from the State of Qatar.

The Minister held a meeting with Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatari Minister of Culture. The meeting focused on means of boosting cultural cooperation and exchanging expertise.

Sayyid Saud also held a meeting with Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, President of Qatar National Library. During the meeting, Sayyid Saud was briefed about the experience of Qatar National Library and its cultural facilities and publications. The two sides discussed the exchange of visions and the transfer of knowledge to support the National Library within Sayyid Tarik bin Taimur Cultural Complex.

On the sports and youth side, Sayyid Saud held a meeting with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatari Minister of Sports and Youth. The two ministers discussed the Qatari experience in developing sports facilities and hosting global events, notably the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. They exchanged views about ways to benefit from such experiences in a manner that serves the countries of the region.