ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The first Kurdish Book Fair has opened at Sami Abdulrahman Park in Erbil, bringing together 130 Kurdish publishers and bookstores and featuring tens of thousands of titles.
The seven-day event, which began on Thursday, brings together 124 Kurdish publishers and bookstores from the Kurdistan Region, five from Rojhelat (western Iran) and one from the Kurdish areas of southeastern Turkey, according to organizers. It runs from 10 am to 7 pm local time.
Visitors and participants described the fair, which features only Kurdish-language titles, as an important cultural milestone for Kurdish literature and publishing.
Book reader Helen Aras said the event carries a message beyond book sales.
“This is not just a book exhibition; it is an event with a message. It brings together Kurdish books from all centers under the embrace of Erbil to deliver a national message,” she told Rudaw on Thursday.
Translator Zanyar Ali, who attended the fair, said he was pleased with the strong presence of Kurdish-language publications.
“What makes us happy is that all of the agencies here are Kurdish, and they have a focus more on the nameplate of the publications. Even the participant books here are all Kurdish titles,” he said.
Publisher Mirko Abubakir, from a publishing house in Sulaimani, said the event supports Kurdish reading culture. “It is more for making a Kurdish dictionary, which makes the Kurdish reader reacquainted with those books we wish to read,” he said.
The fair has also brought together writers, translators, and readers from across Kurdistan Region’s provinces.
Publisher Ata Raouf, who traveled from Halabja, said the initiative could strengthen the relationship between readers and books.
“This fair is one of the important steps that reconnects Kurdish readers with books. It is expected to have a significant impact, particularly on younger generations, who have become increasingly distant from reading,” he said.
The idea for the fair was initiated by Rebin Fattah, owner of Mali Wafayi Bookstore in Erbil, who said the fair was launched to address the limited Kurdish presence in international book fairs.
“We are hidden in the international book exhibition. The goal is not only local, but global - building contact with the outside world and bringing us to the outside world. But we need a bigger goal”.
“We need activities and exhibitions that can carry a national and Kurdistan message. Through this message, we can reflect ideas that significantly enrich our writing, quotations, and literature,” he told Rudaw.
