TEHRAN -- The 24th edition of the Tehran International Book Fair was inaugurated Tuesday with the attendance of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini, and other cultural officials.

The book fair opens to the public on today and will run until May 14 at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla.
“Holding a book fair is a great event, which may take place in a limited area, but it provides an unlimited arena for the interaction of various thoughts,” President Ahmadinejad said during the opening ceremony of the book fair.
“Thank God, despite the serious and attractive rivals of the book, it is still the first for linking thoughts and exchanging ideas,” he added.
He expressed hope that the next fair would be brisker than ever through the participation of more publishers and scholars.
“We need book fairs more than economic expos,” he noted.
The opening ceremony was followed by the culture minister’s report on his office’s activities in the publication of books over the past year.
Over 2300 Iranian and 1700 foreign publishers are taking part in the event. The foreign publishers from 67 countries will be participating in the book fair.
The fair will be hosting review sessions of works with the central theme of the Islamic Revolution and the Sacred Defense (1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war) at the House of Writers in a side section.
Held annually, the House of Writers provides an opportunity for visitors and critics to discuss new books and productions.
Female authors with books on the Islamic Revolution are also expected to attend sessions during the fair.
“We are making the best use of the experience we gained in previous editions to hold a better program this year. While we cannot expand the space, we have tried to increase the quality of the works going on display,” the director of the fair, Bahman Dorri, told reporters at a recent press conference.
He also said that books on the history of Islam, the Ashura epic, hijab, and the Sacred Defense will go on display at the fair.
Books with a variety of topics, especially culture and religion, will be available for visitors, Dorri said.
The Tehran International Book Fair is Iran’s most important cultural event. It is the biggest general public and sales fair in Central Asia and the Middle East.
This year’s theme is the Elevation of Religious Wisdom and Cultural Vision in Economic Jihad.