TEHRAN – The 34th edition of the Tehran International Book Fair opened on Wednesday at Imam Khomeini Mosalla with Persian-speaking Tajikistan the guest of honor of the major Iranian trade fair for books.

Over 3000 foreign and Iranian publishers and over 200 major Iranian bookstores are showcasing their latest offerings at the book fair, which promotes the slogan “The Future Is Readable”.

Directors of several book fairs, including the Doha International Book Fair, New Delhi World Book Fair and Muscat International Book Fair, attended the opening ceremony of the fair running for 11 days.

In addition, culture ministers of Tajikistan and Venezuela are in Tehran to visit the event.

In a press release published by the organizers, Tajik Ambassador Zohidi Nizomiddin Shamsiddinzoda called the book fair the largest cultural event in the region, which aims to improve cultural ties in the region by showcasing the latest publications.

“We have much in common with Iran on cultural, historical and religious issues, and the joint cultural and historical values provide the ground for more cultural interactions between the two countries,” he said.   

He noted that selecting his country as the guest of honor at the book fair will help boost cultural relations with Iran and added, “We are ready to be really active in all programs arranged by the organizers, therefore our delegation to Tehran has brought an extensive collection of books to the book fair.”

Tajikistan plans to organize several review sessions and book launch events. In addition, groups of experts have been invited to take part in a meeting, which will be organized at the Tajikistan pavilion to discuss the current status of literature in Tajikistan and a whole new perspective on cultural relations between Iran and the country.

A new Tajik dictionary will be launched and Iranian and Tajik literati will organize a poetry night during the book fair.
 
Last October, a large cultural delegation led by the Tajik Culture Minister, Zulfiya Davlatzoda, visited Tehran to attend a Tajik cultural festival held at the Abbasabad Cultural Complex in the Iranian capital.

In November, Esmaeili headed a cultural delegation on a reciprocal visit to Tajikistan for the opening of a weeklong Iranian cultural festival in Dushanbe.

Photo: People visit the 34nd Tehran International Book Fair on May 10, 2023. (Tasnim/Meqdad Madadi)

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