RIYADH: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be this year’s guest-of-honor country at the Riyadh International Book Fair. The most-awaited literary carnival in the capital, which aims to facilitate quality exchanges between authors, publishers and readers, will start its 10-day run on Mar. 14. Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information (MoCI) at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center (RICEC), the annual book fair serves as a cultural bridge between the Arab region and the wider world, providing a networking platform for publishers, writers, scholars and academic institutions. “To be held under the patronage of King Salman, Riyadh International Book Fair will be opened on Mar. 14 at the RICEC and will continue till Mar. 24,” Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad said in a statement. Al-Awwad said that choosing the Emirates as the book fair’s guest of honor highlighted the deep-rooted connections between the two countries in political, economic and cultural fields. The fair attracts thousands of visitors daily, with a wide participation of local, Arab and world publishing houses. Organizers believe about 1,000 local, Arab and international publishing houses will attend, indicating the book fair’s place on the map of world exhibitions. A diverse program to boost nationalization initiatives and provide a platform for interaction between intellectuals, writers and the public is planned for this year’s event. Activities targeting different categories of visitors, including children, families and youth, will be on the agenda. The book fair is keen to attract the largest possible audience from all age groups, from within the city and outside of it, whether through direct visits or visits organized through schools and universities. Each year the exhibition management designs a crowd-management plan to facilitate visits during the event. Abdul Rahman Al-Assem, general supervisor for cultural affairs at the MoCI, said that the ministry had organized the fair and its exhibition in a way that reflected Saudi culture, its international standing and fulfilled the aspirations of those interested in the publishing industry. The fair, which started more than a decade ago, displays books on Islam, Arab culture, history, medicine, law, science and technology, mass media and communication, biographical accounts, as well as fiction available in popular languages including Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Urdu and Spanish.