Most people visiting the 29th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) feel pleased with the relocation of the fair, calling the venue more convenient for a book fair.

By Manijeh Rezapoor

TEHRAN – Most people visiting the 29th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) feel pleased with the relocation of the fair, calling the venue more convenient for a book fair.

The organizers relocated the fair this year from Imam Khomeini Mosalla to Shahre Aftab, a newly-constructed fairground in southern Tehran.

In an interview Tehran Times conducted with several citizens on Sunday, the fifth day of the fair, most of the visitors expressed their satisfaction with the new venue. 

Narges Aqajani and Zahra Taheri, two university students studying computers, were happy with the fair.

“The location is good; there are more facilities. The publishers are offering books at reasonable prices with a good number of discounts,” they said.

However, they complained about the location of some publishers of general books and proposed that all publishers active in a specific topic should be situated next to each other for easier access by the visitors.

The 11-year-old  school girl, Mahdis Babai, and her mother, Zahra Baqerzadeh, who were visiting the fair with a number of her colleagues coming from the Khorramdarreh Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance from Zanjan Province, called the fair excellent.  

“It is large with a good atmosphere. The children’s section is also large with a good atmosphere,” Mahdis said.

Iraj Davudbeigi, an art expert from the department said that the new location is very good for visitors coming from other cities.

“There is a large parking lot. We were not stuck in a traffic jam as in previous years. The transportation inside the fair is also good for visitors,” he added.

There was a brief opportunity to speak with Iran Cultural Fairs Institute Director Amir-Masud Shahramnia, who was at the fair to hear from visitors and help remove the obstacles.  

“I think the obstacles have been removed; this is the first year and we know that there are problems. Some of the problems cropped up during the first days and there will be more in the coming days, but I think the old location has been exchanged for a better and more suitable one, nearer to other international venues,” he told Tehran Times.

He added, “It is a more quiet place, the publishers feel comfortable, people also feel the same, but we need to do more at the Ministry of Culture (and Islamic Guidance) to give better service to the visitors. We also need to provide additional public facilities, but on the whole, visitors and officials are satisfied”.

He also gave his opinion about the children’s pavilion and said, “Here it is better, there is good ventilation, a good atmosphere, and there are a variety of programs and we have interesting things to offer the children”. 

Other people were interviewed, including Zahra Khoeini from Masaa Publications, a publisher offering books on Islamic psychology.

“This is the first time that we are attending. It is very good but I think the organizers could dedicate larger spaces to the publishers, since the venue is so big and there is plenty of unused space left,” she said.

The fair has also dedicated a large hall named Yaas to books published in the past Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2015 to 2016).

The Assembly of Islamic Revolution Publishers in this hall offers small packages of books each offering the names of books and publishers useful for a specific topic.
 
For example the “Magic Lamp” package contains a list of best books published on how to develop the creativities of children.

Mohammad Shams, an MA student in psychology from the city of Qom, explained more about the packages and said, “All books mentioned in these packages have been read by a number of experts. People can trust the books offered in these packages since they are quite useful for them.”

“Tomorrow Is Too Late to Read” is the motto of this year’s fair, which will run until May 14.

Photo: People visit the 29th Tehran International Book Fair at Shahre Aftab on May 7, 2016. (IRNA/Mehdi Qorbani)

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