Saudi Arabia to Take Part in London Book Fair
The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will lead Saudi Arabia's participation in the London Book Fair, taking place from March 11 to 13. The participation aims to strengthen cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and the UK, foster collaboration in literature, publishing, and translation, and enhance the recognition of Saudi publishers and literary agencies in major global cultural events, SPA reported.
It also provides Saudi publishers and agents a platform to connect with global publishing houses, promoting knowledge exchange and the sharing of experiences.
Along with the commission, King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language, King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, King Fahad National Library, King Abdulaziz Public Library, and the Publishing Association will also participate in the fair.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leaders
16 hours ago
- Leaders
Saudi Youth Volunteers Elevate Hajj Experience with Dedicated Service
Saudi youth from across the Kingdom have made remarkable contributions to serving pilgrims through volunteer work during this year's Hajj season. Their initiatives included providing medical care, managing crowds at the Grand Mosque, and directing pilgrims to ensure smooth ritual performance. These dedicated volunteers exemplify generosity while supporting various sectors that serve pilgrims. They also develop their skills and capabilities, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Saudi youth volunteers during Hajj 2025. Photo: Saudi Press Agency (SPA) The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation participates with 1,068 male and female volunteer trainees this year in Makkah, Madinah, and the holy sites. Abdullah Al-Duhailan, the corporation's director general of activities, noted that the number of volunteers has increased by over 60 percent in four years. This growth reflects the rising commitment to volunteerism, with numbers rising from 655 in 2022 to 1,068 this year. Saudi youth volunteers during Hajj 2025. Photo: SPA Collaboration with Scouts and Organizations Volunteers join public service camps organized by the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association, collaborating with government and civil society organizations. Their roles include guiding lost pilgrims, assisting patients at clinics, and transporting those in need with hospital vehicles. Additionally, volunteers support tasks alongside the Ministry of Commerce and Makkah municipality. They identify lost pilgrims' nationalities and service office numbers by scanning barcodes on Nusuk cards. This process helps guide them to accommodations via the shortest routes under field scout leaders' supervision. Saudi youth volunteers during Hajj 2025. Photo: SPA Scout teams are stationed at more than 180 mobile guidance points across Mina, providing rapid support and enhance service quality to facilitate pilgrims' smooth Hajj rituals. The collective efforts of these volunteers ensure that pilgrims experience a safe and fulfilling journey during this sacred time. Short link : Post Views: 1
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
What We Are Reading Today: ‘And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer'
Author: Fredrik Backman Fredrik Backman captures the unraveling of a mind with devastating tenderness in his novella 'And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer.' This spare yet monumental novella, published in 2016, traces dementia's heartbreak through intimate dialogues between a grandfather and grandson. Its power lies not in tragedy, but in love's fierce endurance against oblivion. Grandpa is trapped in a shrinking mental town square. He navigates fragmented conversations with grandson Noah (whom he refers to as Noahnoah), clutches vanishing memories, and wrestles with unspoken tensions with his son, Ted. All while preparing for the final goodbye — to others and himself. The shrinking square is dementia's cruel architecture made visceral. Yet within his exchanges with his grandson, luminous defiance shines. Gentle jokes. Shared secrets. Proof that love outruns oblivion. Backman's triumph is avoiding sentimentality. No manipulative tears here, just raw honesty: Grandpa's panic when words fail, Ted's helpless anger, Noahnoah's childhood wisdom becoming the family's compass. Generational bonds offer lifelines. Grandpa lives in the stories, not his head. The resonance is universal. Readers who are familiar with dementia's path will recognize the misplaced keys, the names that vanish, the sudden foreignness of familiar rooms. Backman transforms personal pain into collective catharsis. A minor flaw surfaces though: Ted's perspective aches for deeper exploration. His pain lingers tantalizingly unresolved. My final verdict is that one must devour this in one sitting. Tissues mandatory. For anyone who loves, or has loved, someone slipping away, this story can become an anchor.
Saudi Gazette
4 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Pilgrims perform ritual of Standing at Arafat, marking the climax of Hajj
Saudi Gazette report ARAFAT — Marking the climax of the annual pilgrimage of Hajj, over 1.67 million pilgrims started their main ritual of wuqoof (standing) at Arafat on Thursday afternoon after ascending the vast plains of Arafat earlier the day. The Saudi authorities have mobilized all their resources to ensure pilgrims complete the most important part of their lifetime spiritual journey in ease and comfort. On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman has arrived in Mina on Thursday to oversee Saudi Arabia's Hajj operation. Well-coordinated strategies and modern technologies are in place to facilitate the performance of Hajj rituals, ensuring a safe and reassuring environment for pilgrims on this significant day in Islam. Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all Muslims physically and financially able to make the pilgrimage. Chanting 'Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (O God, here I am answering Your call)...,' the pilgrims streamed this morning to Namira Mosque in Arafat after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the Tent City of Mina. Male pilgrims in seamless white clothes — resembling a white sea of humanity and women in their abayas — are now spending the most crucial hours in their pilgrimage. Sheikh Saleh Bin Humaid, imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, delivered the Arafat sermon at the grand Namira Mosque. He emphasized that the Day of Arafat is a significant occasion when Muslims come together in unity, reflecting the true essence of faith. The sermon resembles the famous farewell sermon of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he performed his only Hajj. The Arafat sermon has reached a vast audience across the globe, through translations in 35 languages. After the sermon, Sheikh Bin Humaid led the prayers. Retracting the noble tradition of the Prophet (PBUH), he performed noon (Dhuhr) and evening (Asr) prayers, combined and shortened, with one adhan and two iqamas. Pilgrims joined the prayers at and around Namira Mosque, and then started performing the Standing at Arafat. Wuqoof Arafat, one of the four pillars of Hajj, begins after noon prayers. Pilgrims would engage in prayers and supplications until after sunset. They will seek forgiveness and pleasures of Allah. Many of the worshippers were seen holding umbrellas against the fierce sun while chanting Talbiyah and reciting verses from the Holy Qur'an after ascending on Jabal Al-Rahma (the Mount of Mercy) in Arafat. The vast plains of Arafat spread over an area of 10.4 square km and is inhabited only during the days of Hajj. On this blessed day, the pilgrims engage in the 'Talbiyah' supplication, remembrance of Allah, seeking forgiveness, and praising God, Almighty. They turn humbly and devotedly to Allah, spending the day praying for themselves, their families, their children, and all their fellow Muslims. Multitudes of pilgrims are standing shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet, for the emotional day of supplication in the desert valley where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) delivered his final sermon during his Farewell Hajj, calling for equality and unity among Muslims. Many pilgrims raised their hands in worship with tears streaming down their faces. Muslims in most parts of the world are observing fasting on Thursday in a sign of solidarity with the pilgrims. It is a great Sunnah for those who do not perform Hajj to observe fasting on Arafat Day. Under the sweltering temperatures, most of the pilgrims are carrying umbrellas. Cooling stations on the roads leading to Arafat and in its surrounding areas sprayed pilgrims with water to help fight the heat, which had already climbed to over 40 degrees Celsius at Mount Arafat. The pilgrims would remain at Arafat until nightfall in deep contemplation, supplication and recitation of the Holy Qur'an. After completing the ritual of Standing at Arafat by sunset, pilgrims then move to Muzdalifah in a calm and dignified manner, reciting talbiyah a great deal. They will offer the Maghrib prayer with three raka'a and Isha prayer in two raka'a at the time of Isha after reaching Muzdalifah, and spend the night there in supplication. They will head to Mina after Fajr prayer on Friday to perform the ritual of stoning at Jamarat Al-Aqba on the Day of Sacrifice when Muslims other than pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and many other countries start celebration of Eid Al-Adha festival.
