11th Istanbul International Arabic Book Fair to Begin on August 15

The 11th International Istanbul Arabic Book Fair will open on August 15, bringing together 300+ publishers from over 30 countries for a celebration of books, literature, and cultural exchange.
on Aug 14, 2026

The 11th Istanbul Arabic Book Fair is scheduled to be held from August 15 at the Yenikapı Eurasia Exhibition and Art Center in Istanbul, gathering publishers, writers, scholars, translators, and book lovers from all over the Arab world as well as beyond.

This nine-day event, ending on August 23, is supposed to host more than 300 publishing houses representing over 30 countries. It is expected that this fair will have an attendance of more than 120,000 people, thus emphasizing its status as one of the biggest Arabic book fairs not held in the Arab world.

Organized in collaboration with the Turkish Publishers Association, International Association of Arabic Book Publishers, and the Turkish Printing and Publishing Association, this fair is intended to enhance cultural and publishing relations between Turkey and Arab countries.

Apart from exhibiting books, the fair will conduct a number of cultural and professional events such as seminars, lectures, intellectual debates, book signings, poetry readings, and art programs. Separate conferences will also be conducted on copyrights, translations, and international publishing cooperation.

One of the key attractions of the fair will be the TULIA (Turkish Literature in Arabic) Project that encourages translations of Turkish literature into Arabic.

On the topic of "The Story Continues," the fair aims to create a chance of cultural exchange as well as connecting publishers, translators, writers, researchers, and readers. Furthermore, it aims to facilitate the discussion of new publishing initiatives as well as increased collaboration between the literary industries of Turkey and the Arab world.

The Istanbul Arabic Book Fair has evolved into an important annual event for the Arabic publishing industry in Turkey. The most recent edition of the fair will help solidify Istanbul's position as a place for Arabic literature, publishing, translation, and cultural exchange.