ALGIERS: The pavilion of the Sultanate of Oman at the Algiers International Book Fair (SILA), held at the Maritime Pines Exhibition Palace in its 28th edition, is witnessing a wide turnout of visitors and those interested in cultural affairs.

This year’s event is held under the slogan “The Book: A Meeting Place of Cultures” and will continue until 8 November.

The Omani participation in the exhibition is rich and distinguished in both quantity and quality, featuring dozens of publications that reflect the diversity of the intellectual and cultural movement in the Sultanate of Oman. These include religious and intellectual books, as well as linguistic, literary, and historical works published by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.

The pavilion includes a number of publications from the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs that highlight the Omani jurisprudential and intellectual heritage, such as: “Maqasid Al Sharia” (Objectives of Sharia) in four parts, and “Comparative Jurisprudential Rules Among Islamic Schools of Thought” (6 parts), specialized books on law, in addition to documenting the religious and architectural memory of the Sultanate of Oman. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth is showcasing a wide range of literary and intellectual publications that shed light on the Omani poetic and historical experience, most notably the Diwan (collection) “Echoes from Wadi Abqar” by the poet Hilal bin Salim Al Siyabi (4 parts), among others.

Visitors to the Fair were also drawn to a number of publications that document the leadership experience of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, including “A Reformer on the Throne: Qaboos bin Said” by researcher Sergey Plekhanov, and “The Adjacent Dimensions in the Thought of Sultan Qaboos” by Dr. Majdi Afifi, in addition to the book “Imam Jabir bin Zaid Al Omani and His Contributions to Da’wah” by Dr. Salih bin Ahmed Al Sawafi.

Khalid bin Hamdan Al Nadabi, representative of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, affirmed in his statement to Oman News Agency that the Sultanate of Oman’s participation in SILA has become an established cultural tradition, reflecting the strong intellectual and civilizational relations between the two countries. He pointed out that the titles included in the pavilion express the product of Omani thought in various fields of knowledge, from exegesis, jurisprudence, language, and history, to astronomy, literature, and poetry, given the deep intellectual and cognitive importance of Algeria in the Arab and Islamic world.

He added that the Omani presence at this cultural event is not just a display of books, but a bridge for acquaintance and communication between intellectuals and intellectual institutions in the two countries. He explained that the great interaction from Algerian visitors reflects their interest in Omani thought and their eagerness to discover its diversity and depth.

He noted that the remarkable turnout of the Algerian public at the Omani pavilion reflects the Algerian reader’s thirst for knowledge, love of reading, and expansion in culture and thought. Furthermore, this interaction confirms the strength of the cultural ties between the two peoples and the exchange of influence and inspiration between the intellectual elites in both countries.