Riyadh, Sep 30, 2021, SPA -- Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inaugurated this evening the activities of Riyadh International Book Fair 2021 at Riyadh Front. The inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities of the Republic of Iraq, Dr. Hassan Nazim and Iraq's ambassador to the Kingdom, Dr. Abdul Sattar Hadi Al-Janabi, representing the Republic of Iraq, which was chosen to be the guest of honor for this year's edition of Riyadh International Book Fair 2021. The opening ceremony also witnessed a distinguished presence of Saudi, Arab and international cultural figures and leaders topped by Prince Turki Al-Faisal; Prince Abdurrahman bin Musaed bin Abdulaziz; Chairman of the Board of Directors of General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al Al-Sheik; Acting Secretary General of King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) Dr. Fahd Al-Samari; Minister of Culture of the Republic of Egypt, Dr. Dr. Inas Abdel Dayem; CEO of Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, Dr. Mohammed Hasan Alwan and a number of ambassadors, ministers and cultural officials from friendly countries. The ceremony began with the official inauguration of the fair by the Minister of Culture followed by a tour on the pavilions and facilities of the book fair, which is considered the largest book fair in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the participation of more than 1,000 publishing houses belonging to 30 countries from different continents of the world. Riyadh Int'l Book Fair, which will be held from 1 to 10 October, 2021 will host a number of seminars and qualitative evenings that enrich its comprehensive cultural program. On the sidelines of the book fair, the Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will organize the International Publishers Conference, on October 4-5, which will be the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and seeks to reformulate the future of the Arab publishing industry. Riyadh International Book Fair 2021 is held on an area of more than 36,000 square meters and is scheduled to receive its visitors daily from 10:00 am until 11:00 pm. --SPA 00:30 LOCAL TIME 21:30 GMT 0001 www.spa.gov.sa/w1629046