Al-Qamishli Hosts a Book Fair in its Eighth Edition

The Rise of Electronic Marketing in the Region

The young Kurdish woman, Sherine Abdel Rahim, offers a distinctive experience in selling paper books through her "Amani Book" library, which specializes in selling through electronic marketing, via social media platforms, drawing inspiration from the success story of the "Jarir" electronic bookstore in Saudi Arabia, and the "Amazon" global store.

This year, "Amani Book" is participating with about 300 titles and paper books, along with 54 publishing houses and libraries with about 15,000 titles, including 143,000 books, in the activities of the eighth session of the "Harkul Book Fair", which is hosted by the city of Qamishli in the Al-Hasakah Governorate, located in the far north-east of Syria. It is led by Syrian publishing houses, and from Arab countries such as Kuwait and the Emirates, and international publishing houses, in addition to local Kurdish publishing houses and from neighboring countries, such as Turkey and the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Sherine Abdel Rahim from Qamishli founded a library based on electronic marketing (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Regarding her experience in selling books and electronic marketing, media student Sherine Abdel Rahim (20 years old) told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The library is the first of its kind in the northeastern region of Syria, as it relies on selling books electronically,” and she continued: “From Through the book warehouse in my home in Qamishli, and accounts on social media platforms, I publish the content with a brief synopsis, so that the reader can know the content of the book and buy it.”

She stated that she has more than 3,000 followers on Instagram, and more than 100,000 followers and visits on Facebook. The idea has also gained popularity on Telegram, and she aspires to reach the largest number of followers to achieve higher sales rates.

Part of the exhibition Where Reading is Medicine (Middle East)

The “Amani Book” page on Instagram is distinguished by displaying books from different cultures and international translations into the Arabic language, as it presents itself as “an online store for selling books, borrowing them, and delivering them through delivery and shipping services to the governorates of Al-Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor.”

According to the bookstore owner, the best-selling books over the past two years have been international literary novels, led by “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez, “40” by the Saudi writer and journalist Ahmed Al-Shugairi, and “The Alchemist” by the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho.

She commented: “Today I have achieved a good percentage of sales, and it has become my main source of income. “I also spend on my university studies from it, and I have shipping services to most of the major cities and towns in the northern eastern governorates.” This Kurdish girl prefers to take advantage of the spread of social media, which she believes may be “entertaining for some and a waste of time for others, but useful for many. Selling books Through it to the new generation, he achieved high sales rates that exceeded my expectations.”

Books are a refuge for those who are distressed by the world (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Al-Qamishli Hosts a Book Fair in its Eighth Edition

<p(Local Kurdish publishing houses operating in the region, as well as other Syrian cities, topped the list of participants in the “Herkul Book Fair,” which began in the middle of this month and will continue until the 24th.)

Lebanese and Kuwaiti publishing houses, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, and the Italian “Dar Al-Mediterranean” publisher Khaled Al-Nasseri are participating. The exhibition’s cultural programs also included intellectual seminars, poetry evenings, literary workshops, and short film screenings.

In this context, a member of the exhibition’s preparatory committee, Abdel Majeed Khalaf, explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that the activity contributed significantly to spreading knowledge and promoting books, despite the wars and tragedies in the region, stressing that the exhibition is “a stimulating opportunity to acquire and purchase books and learn about Arab literary production.” And the Kurdish for local and foreign publishing houses,” as more than 10 Kurdish publishing houses from Turkey and Iraq participated.

Among the most prominent challenges facing the organization of the exhibition this year was the closure of border crossings due to the deteriorating security situation, the control of the Syrian regular forces over them, and the limited participation of publishing houses from Arab and Western countries. Khalaf added: “Several publishing houses sent requests to participate, and as a result of the closure of the crossings and travel and movement restrictions, they backed down at the last minute.”

Khair Jalees (Asharq Al-Awsat)

In turn, the Kurdish researcher and poet Saleh Hedo, who participated in the exhibition with 12 titles on Kurdish history, customs, traditions and folklore, pointed out that devoting an annual exhibition to selling and marketing books with translations from other languages ​​into Arabic and Kurdish; “A historic event and a source of pride for the people of the region,” stressing, in his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that it is “a positive step to spread knowledge to the entire population of the region, and a means to develop the Kurdish language and make it an established culture among our societies and the peoples of the Middle East.”

Hedo stressed that the event is an opportunity to display rare Kurdish manuscripts and the latest editions and new editions of modern books for review, noting that “our Kurdish language is our identity and our history, and it must be developed through translation and protected from the policies of racist ruling regimes.”

It is noteworthy that the “Harkul Book Fair” is organized annually in the Syrian city of Qamishli under the auspices of the Culture Authority of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and in cooperation with the Culture Authority in Al-Jazeera Province.

Conclusion:
The Harkul Book Fair has become a significant event in the region, promoting knowledge and encouraging reading habits among the local population. The emergence of digital marketing and social media has also provided a new platform for bookstores like Amani Book to reach a wider audience.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is the Harkul Book Fair?
A: The Harkul Book Fair is an annual book fair held in Qamishli, Syria, showcasing local and international publishing houses, and promoting book sales and reading habits.

Q: Who participates in the Harkul Book Fair?
A: The fair is participated by local and international publishing houses, including Arab, Kurdish, and foreign publishers, and local and international universities and institutions.

Q: What kind of books are available at the Harkul Book Fair?
A: The fair features a wide range of books, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s books, as well as rare and classic editions, and modern translations of international works into Arabic and Kurdish.