Running from September 13 to 18 at ADNEC, the 35th edition features 1,500 events, Balkans as Guest of Honour, and tributes to Al-Farahidi and Don Quixote.
ABU DHABI, Sept. 12, 2026 : Publishers, authors, and scholars from 95 countries will assemble in the United Arab Emirates this week as the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair opens its 35th edition on Sunday, marking three and a half decades since its establishment in 1981.
Organized by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre under the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the six-day fair will run from September 13 to 18 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). Operating under the theme “Turn the Page, Read the World,” the 2026 exhibition spans roughly 1,500 events covering publishing trades, civilizational dialogue, and family-oriented literary workshops.
The event traces its roots to 1981, when the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan launched the inaugural “Islamic Book Fair” at Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation with 50 local and regional publishers. Over the subsequent 35 years, the platform evolved into one of the Arab world’s primary literary marketplaces, bridging Middle Eastern publishing networks with global industry hubs.
This year, organizers have designated the Balkans as the official Guest of Honour, spotlighting southeastern European literature, historical exchanges, and contemporary translation projects. Classical philologist and grammarian Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad Al-Farahidi serves as the Focus Personality, while Miguel de Cervantes’ seminal Spanish masterpiece, Don Quixote, is recognized as the “Book of the World.”
An inaugural opening gala will mark the 35-year milestone with live musical productions and a theatrical retrospective detailing Al-Farahidi’s impact on Arabic lexicography and prosody.
Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and Director of the fair, stated that the chosen theme reflects the Emirates’ strategic push to connect diverse literary landscapes. He noted that the fair operates not merely as an exhibition space, but as an active infrastructure designed to encourage cross-border publishing agreements and intellectual exchange.
Alongside trade negotiations, the 2026 edition introduces “Poetry Nights,” a curated series uniting prominent Arab poets for recitals, critical forums, and public lectures. Industry professionals will attend a dedicated publishing conference addressing shifting business models, copyright licensing, and emerging digital consumption formats across the Middle East and North Africa.
The fair will also host the 20th annual Sheikh Zayed Book Award ceremony, presenting accolades across literature, translation, and scholarly research. The awards spotlight major contributions to Arab culture and support global publishing partnerships through dedicated translation funding schemes.
