Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) - an annual event organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) - is successfully bringing together millions of book titles and tens of thousands of visitors, exhibitors and publishers under its umbrella.
This year, celebrating its 35th anniversary, SIBF continues to expand its presence, consolidating Sharjah’s position as the Capital of Islamic and Arab culture and confidently advancing its bid to become a World Book Capital.
SIBF’s three-and-a-half decades of continuous success and excellence has happened under the vision and patronage of His Highness Shaikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who outlined his vision to a youth audience at a theatrical event on April 18, 1979 with the words: “It is time to stop the concrete revolution of civil construction in the country and replace it with a cultural revolution instead.”
From its very onset, SIBF has grown to become a major cultural event that brings together readers, publishers and intellectuals, from the Arab world and from across the globe.
With a limited number of publishers, the first edition of the Sharjah Book Fair was opened by Shaikh Sultan on January 18, 1982.
Since its inception, SIBF has been a space to enrich the cultural scene and launch new initiatives. The last five editions have witnessed record-breaking figures, with 4.8 million people visiting the fairs from its 30th to 34th editions. The 34th edition featured 1,000 activities, an increase from the 400 taking place during its 30th edition, with exhibition space increasing from 7,600 to 16,000 square metres in the same timeframe.
Every year, SIBF hosts a long list of thought leaders and literary figures, carving out its position as one of the three most prestigious book fairs in the world.
During SIBF’s 27th edition, the Ruler of Sharjah unveiled ‘Knowledge without Borders’ as an extension of a series of initiatives that support outstanding publishing houses, creative writers and illustrators. SIBF allocated valuable cash prizes and awards that have now become an established tradition of the region’s most popular fair.
SIBF seeks to instill a lifetime love of reading in everyone, attracting children and young people in particular through its activities that combine learning and fun. The fair attracts school visits and students who come from across the UAE, with SIBF reciprocating by arranging writers and guests to visit schools in the UAE to share their ideas and experiences with the students.
The year 2014 was a milestone in SIBF’s history because it coincided with the celebrations of Sharjah being named ‘Capital of Islamic Culture’ - a groundbreaking achievement. The following year for the 34th edition of SIBF, His Highness announced a donation of Dh4 million to purchase books from the exhibitors participating in the fair as a contribution towards the support of book publishing and investment in human intellectual development and encouraging writers in the Arab world.
Timeline of Sharjah International Book Fair
First edition: January 18,1982
Second edition: October 13, 1983
Third edition: October 8, 1984
Fourth edition: November 5, 1985
Fifth edition: November 4, 1986
Sixth edition: November 4, 1987
Seventh edition: November 2, 1988
Eighth edition: November 1, 1989
Ninth edition: November 1990
10th edition: November 13, 1991
11th edition: November 3, 1992
12th edition: November 2, 1993
13th edition: November 1, 1994
14th edition: November 1, 1995
15th edition: November 5, 1996
16th edition: November 4, 1997
17th edition: November 3, 1998
18th edition: November 2, 1999
19th edition: November 1, 2000
20th edition: November 4, 2001
21st edition: December 30, 2002
22nd edition: December 6, 2003
23rd edition: December 7, 2004
24th edition: December 6, 2005
25th edition: December 5, 2006
26th edition: December 5, 2007
27th edition: October 9, 2008
28th edition: November 11, 2009
29th edition: October 6, 2010
30th edition: November 16, 2011
31st edition: November 7, 2012
32nd edition: November 6, 2013
33rd edition: November 5, 2014
34th edition: November 4, 2015
35th edition: November 2, 2016
