Morocco is the guest of honor at the 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, which opened on Wednesday, November 6 in the United Arab Emirates, under the theme “Morocco of cultures in Sharjah of books”.
This show, which will continue until November 17, brings together 2,500 publishers and exhibitors from 112 countries and offers more than 1,357 activities, with the participation of 250 guests from 63 nationalities.
In addition to a space dedicated to Moroccan culture and several stands of Moroccan publishers presenting books in various fields, the Sharjah Book Fair welcomes major Moroccan cultural and literary figures, such as Ahmed Chahlane, Abdessalam Benabdelali, Mohamed Noureddine Affaya, Mohamed Achaari, Abdelilah Belkeziz, Aïcha Belarbi, Moubarak Rabii, Hassan Najmi, Wafaa Lamrani, Mourad Kadiri and Abdelhak Mifrani.
In order to strengthen this Moroccan presence, the show also brings together nearly 100 Moroccan cultural personalities, including Ahmed Chaouki Binebine, Jamâa Baida, Ahmed Boukouss, Driss El Yazami, Rahma Bourqia, Abdel Fattah Al Hajmari, Ahmed El Madini, Saïd Yaktine, Abdelilah Benarafa and Abdelouahed Akmir.
This cultural event highlights Aïssawa and Gnaoua music, as well as the traditional Taskwin dance, included by UNESCO on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity
In addition to the interest in folk tales, films, tapestries, calligraphic art and the tasting of Moroccan culinary specialties, the “Sharjah Book Fair” offers its visitors, from November 6 to 17, the opportunity to participate in workshops dedicated to decorative arts, zellige pottery, weaving and clay sculpture, traditional crafts perpetuated by Moroccan artisans.
The Moroccan pavilion
The guest of honor pavilion invites you on a journey through the history of Morocco, drawing on archaeological discoveries, manuscripts, geography and “beautiful books”. It thus traces the history of the country and its inhabitants, from the traces of the “first modern man in the world”, found in the “Jebel Irhoud” mountains, to the Neolithic rock engravings in Zagora and the jewelry of Bizmoune, the oldest in the world, discovered in the Bizmoune cave near Essaouira.
Coming from the city of Ouarzazate, the show presents visitors with a door of a Moroccan collective store, “Igoudar”, with its unique description and decorations, symbols of a long tradition. Then, from Marrakech, he invites the visitor to discover a zellige panel, among those which adorn the sumptuous El Badi palace, in the historic capital.
With its unique vision of the world and its significant influence, the show presents the “map of Al-Idrisi”, born in Ceuta before its occupation, which remained for centuries a reference for travelers and navigators from three continents: Africa , Asia and Europe.
Through light projections of Moroccan monuments, including the “Hassan Tower” in Rabat, the show presents Moroccan manuscripts written in Arabic calligraphy, signed by famous scholars: Ibn Battouta of Tangier, Al Idrisi, Abu Zaid Abd al-Rahman Abu Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Fasi, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad Ibn al-Saffar and Ibn al-Banna al-Marrakushi.
“Morocco has always had, throughout its millennial history, a recognized cultural presence and a rich manuscript heritage, bequeathed by generations of scholars and copyists who excelled in the arts of writing and calligraphy. Historical accounts also testify to the reputation of prosperous libraries, nourished by the passion of sultans and notables for the acquisition and reproduction of major works and precious manuscripts.said the show guide.
In this regard, Moroccan libraries continue to preserve a rich heritage of manuscripts and documents which represent the memory of the nation. Among them, we find the Royal Library, the Karaouine Library in Fez, the Ben Youssef Library in Marrakech, the Sbihi Library in Salé, the Zaouia Al-Ayachia Library, the Naciria Library in Tamegroute, the Imam Ali Library in Taroudant, as well as the Ahl Abdel Baqi Sibawayh Library in Laâyoune.
The 43rd edition of the “Sharjah Book Fair” pays tribute to eminent Moroccan figures who have marked history and science. Among them, Hassan al-Wazzan, known as “Leon the African”, Abu al-Qasim al-Zayyani, Abu Salim al-Ayashi, al-Hassan al-Yusi, Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Saffar, Ibn Rochaïd Al-Fihri, Ibn Othman al-Meknassi and Ibn Nasser al-Dar’i, author of the famous and profound spiritual poetry “Du’a Nasiri”.
