World's Largest Floating Book Fair In Muscat

Floating book fair docks in Muscat‎

His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki al Said opened yesterday Logos Hope Book Fair, the world’s largest floating book fair, which lasts for five days at the Sultan Qaboos Port. HH Sayyid Faisal said that the book fair tries to disseminate the culture of reading in the countries which the vessel visits. It also seeks to enhance the interactions among people as there are volunteers from scores of nationalities.

I feel proud knowing something this big is taking place here in Muscat. And I'm so excited to pay the place a visit on Wednesday inshallah.

Venue: Sultan Qaboos Port

Date: 15th to 19th of Jan.

Entrance fee: 300 Bz.

Contact Logoshope.Muscat@gbaships.org or call 9616 9274 for more information.

Muscat Book Fair Overview

Muscat Book Fair is an annual event that is said to be one of the most anticipated events of the year. Students can’t wait to go to the fair with their peers as school trips arranged every year. When you see the great number of people gathered around the place you’d notice how concerned they’re all are in buying books in order to develop their habit of reading. I personally find it amusing that kids urge their classmates to buy this or that book especially if it had an attractive, coloured cover!

Talking about this year’s fair, I immediately rushed to the English section to explore what it had in store for me, what types of fictional stories that waited for me to grab and start reading from the moment I reached back home it self. What I felt after that was plain disappointment. There were less quality and more quantity which is directly proportional to my last year’s observation, although, I could not help but notice the amount of educational books at the fair. College students swarmed around these areas and were glad to find such valuable materials that are related to their studies in one way or the other.

As I am an avid reader, I would prefer if there were more novels directed to the teenage group. Providing a different variety of genres through selling novels can defiantly encourage and boost the passion for reading in youngsters. And extending the length of the fair’s duration would be useful as well, since some schools and colleges are undergoing midterm’s exams and/or 3rd terms. Over all, Book Fairs are a total success in a city like Muscat that lacks of bookshops. So if you have not been to the fair yet, you should think of paying a visit as Friday is the last day!