Thousands throng Istanbul book fair on opening day

More than 6,000 people visited the 4th International Arabic Book Fair in Istanbul on its opening day, a senior representative of a Turkish publishing association said on Sunday.

Emrah Kısakürek, chairman of Istanbul-based BAS-YAY-BIR, told Anadolu Agency that 207 publishers from 15 countries are participating in the event.

Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner of this event which kicked off on Saturday and will run till Sept. 9.

Kısakürek said that the Istanbul fair was the only exhibition which was supported and accredited by Arab Publishers' Association outside the Arab world.

"Fairs in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan are busy, but in terms of individual sales, there are a few exhibitions where so many publishers are together," he added.

Istanbul governor Vasip Şahin also visited Anadolu Agency's stand at the fair.

The fair, which was held under the slogan "Discover a New World" at the Eurasia Exhibition and Art Center, will see the participation of over 200 publishers from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Morocco, the U.K., Italy, Iran and Iraq.