2023'S Cairo International Book Fair

 

The Cairo International Book Fair is an amazing event that occurs yearly in January, February, or between. This year it was as mesmerising as always. It is said that it is one of the oldest book fairs in the Arab World from 1969 held yearly. 

The Nature of The Current Book Fair

If you are looking for foreign language books, be sure to head to Hall 2. Kids' activities and handmade projects are usually found in Hall 4, along with the Arabian categories. Halls 3 and 1 are full of the rest of the publishing houses that take part in the fair. A mini building separates each Hall, and between Hall 1 and Hall 2, there is another miscellaneous hall. The same goes for Halls 3 and 4, but Hall 2 and Hall 3 are separated by a food court outdoors. Each Hall out of the four is divided into A, B, and C, so the publishing house you are looking for will be A12 in Hall 1 or something similar. 

You should definitely pass by the Azbakeya in Hall 3! They have all limited editions, cheap priceless vintage books, and old last editions buried there. You will surely find what you are looking for there and more if you know where to look.

You can meet aspiring writers there and many people taking part in the event.

If you are looking for a specific book or genre or have a specific publishing house in your mind, then asking one of the volunteers situated everywhere would be a good idea because they are volunteering to help you out!

It is crowded, but if you come early, from 10 am till 2 pm, it won’t be as much. There is a parking area, and this is a video featuring gate 2 at 11:30 am on Sunday 5th of February, which is the day before the event's last day this year. 

Before heading to the gate, you’d want to purchase a ticket at the ticket station situated between the gates. 

You will be walking a lot, and if you are a bookworm who has a books checklist or looking for notebooks, like myself, then you will be carrying quite a hefty amount, so make sure to train those muscles before next year’s book fair.