Amman book fair opens Thursday

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will open a book fair in the capital's Ras Al Ain area on Thursday with the aim of spreading the culture of reading among the Jordanian community, an official said Wednesday. 

Samer Khraino, executive culture director at GAM, said the book fair is organised with youth book initiatives in Amman this time rather than with publishing houses. 

“An initiative dubbed Nahwa Al Kitab [Towards a book] is involved and this group includes a number of youth groups that promote the culture of reading in Jordan,” he told The Jordan Times in a phone interview. 

He noted that thousands of titles will be featured at the fair, covering a wide range of topics.

Khraino noted that the book fairs the municipality holds in Amman have a positive impact on the public. 

“We hold a book fair every month in Amman, and we even held 15 book fairs in the capital last year,” the municipality official added.   

He said GAM seeks to encourage Ammanis to read, out of a belief that reading is a pillar in developing a city’s community. 

The book fair will run through April 27.