Cairo: Qatar will be the guest of honour at the 58th Cairo International Book Fair.
Qatar’s Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States H E Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Thani received the guest-of-honour insignia on behalf of Qatar at the closing ceremony of the 57th edition on February 3, 2026.
The General Egyptian Book Organisation has set October 31 as the deadline for Egyptian, Arab and international publishing houses to submit applications to participate in the upcoming fair, which will run from January 20 to February 2, 2027.
Established in 1969, the Cairo International Book Fair is among the Arab world’s oldest and most prominent book fairs. Over the decades, it has become a major annual gathering for publishers, writers, intellectuals and readers from Egypt and around the world.
In addition to its extensive book displays, the programme features literary discussions, cultural and artistic events, and activities for children, fostering dialogue, creativity and cultural exchange.
The Cairo International Book Fair is one of the largest book fairs in the Middle East, where about two million people visit the exhibition annually, and the exhibition is held in January of each year.
The first session of the exhibition was opened on the evening of January 22, 1969, as part of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the city of Cairo.
