The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Cairo’s book fair is right around the corner, starting on January the 26th and lasting for two weeks before ending on February the 7th. So, it’s a great time to re-discover the annual event that pulls the attention of two million visitors.

Cairo international book fair is one of the oldest in the world and the MENA region. In fact, it is by the far the single oldest book fair in the Arab world. Being this old and large, it’s regarded as the most important event in the Arab publishing world with around 16 Arab countries participating annually.

Organised by the General Egyptian Book Organisation, the main promoter for books in Egypt, the fair started in 1969 and has since grown to be one of the largest in the world, second only to Frankfurt in Germany. Having moved a few years ago from Nasr City to New Cairo, the fair has been only getting bigger and bigger, housing hundreds of publishers and opening its arms to over two million visitors. In recent decades, the fair has expanded to include more than just books; it houses science and cultural lectures, book discussions, poetry readings, and intellectual debates.

The fair also attracts more attention due to the fact that Cairo-based publishers produce around three of every five Arabic books printed in the world. Not only appealing to hardcore readers, the fair also presents media in the form of books, CDs, cassettes, audiobooks, etc.—in mainstream topics, outdoor events, food vendors and entertainment events directed towards children and adults.

After the turmoil around Covid the past two years and changing schedules, it returns for its 53rd running this year with its regular opening in late January.