Cairo Book Fair draws to a close after welcoming over 6.2 million visitors

CAIRO – 4 February 2026: The curtain has fallen on the 57th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair after attracting more than 6.2 million visitors from January 21 to February 3, in an unprecedented milestone.

Minister of Culture Ahmed Fouad Hanno said this strong public engagement reaffirms the fair’s firmly established position as one of the world’s largest and most influential cultural platforms.

He highlighted the fair’s vital role in supporting the publishing industry and fostering cultural dialogue among nations.

 

Held under the slogan “Whoever stops reading for an hour falls centuries behind,” a quote by the late Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, this year’s fair celebrated reading as a cornerstone of awareness, progress, and human development.

The fair, held at the Egypt International Exhibitions Center in New Cairo, offered visitors a diverse cultural and artistic program, including intellectual seminars, literary evenings, artistic performances, and activities designed for children and youth.

Notable Personalities, Guest of Honor

In a symbolic tribute, Mahfouz was named personality of this edition, honoring his enduring literary legacy and transformative role in shaping the modern Arabic novel.

 

For the first time in its history, the fair also celebrated a pioneer of children’s book illustration, honoring the late Mohieddin El-Labbad for a career that blended imagination and visual beauty and left a lasting imprint on generations of young readers.

Romania was chosen as Guest of Honor, opening new horizons for cultural exchange and dialogue between the two countries through a rich and diverse program of events.

This year’s edition featured around 1,457 publishing houses from 83 countries, with a total of 6,637 exhibitors, and hosted a distinguished lineup of Arab and international poets, thinkers, writers, and global officials.