In the opening ceremony of the 16th International Book Fair of Iranian Publishers, underway at Mashhad’s international fair grounds, it was suggested that the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi, particularly Mashhad city, can turn into a “hub of written culture in Iran and the Islamic world.”
Making the statement, deputy culture minister Abbas Salehi said book fairs are great cultural events and “can promote the culture of books and reading,” IRNA reported.
“Khorasan Razavi enjoys 10 unique opportunities to become the Islamic world’s hub of written culture,” he added. “The province, following Qom and Tehran, is Iran’s 3rd publishing center, while it is also powerful in other fields including science and seminaries which have vital roles in promoting books.”
The province holds ancient and enormous libraries, powerful media, cultural-scientific centers as well as several institutes in the fields of spontaneous publishing, which can be turned into “a hub of written heritage.”
The book fair opened on Friday and will wrap up on October 31.
