SHARJAH, 4th November, 2026 (WAM) -- Sharjah Public Libraries (SPL) is taking visitors to the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on a journey through the history of libraries and their role in building civilisations and preserving knowledge.
During its participation in the fair, which opened on Wednesday at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme “Made of Stories”, SPL is presenting a cultural programme titled “Library of Civilisation”, featuring seven events across three main pillars: “Book in Focus”, “Behind the Scenes” and “The Big Book Club”.
Eman Bushulaibi, Director of SPL, said libraries bear witness to the development of human knowledge and to generations of scholars, writers and researchers who collected, documented and transmitted it.
She said the programme aims to shed light on this journey and enable visitors to discover the stories behind books and manuscripts and learn about the role libraries have played in preserving societies’ collective memory and cultural heritage.
Bushulaibi added that introducing younger generations to the history of libraries is closely linked to encouraging reading and making use of contemporary knowledge resources.
She said SPL seeks to make libraries spaces for dialogue and discovery, where readers can engage with authors and researchers and gain a deeper understanding of how knowledge is produced and verified.
The “Book in Focus” pillar presents works revisiting significant periods of Islamic and Andalusian history through discussions with authors.
Writer and poet Sheikha Al Mutairi, Secretary-General of the Emirates Writers Union, will meet visitors on 5th November in a session titled “Thus Spoke the Books”, discussing her book *Days of Books* and stories drawn from years of working among bookshelves.
On 6th November, Emirati author Ahmed Rashid bin Fahad will discuss his book *Granada After the Fall: The Story of an Undefeated People* in a session titled “Thus Spoke History”, examining the fall of Granada and the human and historical changes that accompanied it.
On 13th November, Mashhad Al Allaf, Professor of Philosophy of Science, Ethics and Logic in the Department of History and Islamic Civilisation at the University of Sharjah, will present “Thus Spoke Arabic”, exploring the influence of Arab civilisation on the West and the transmission of scientific knowledge and terminology from Arabic into Latin languages.
The “Behind the Scenes” pillar will explore the processes preceding publication, from collecting sources and examining manuscripts to developing ideas and transforming them into published works.
Hamad Al Jabri will open the programme on 7th November with “The Art of Travel Writing”, drawing on his experiences in Latin America to discuss turning travel and encounters with different cultures into literature.
On 12th November, Sami Al Naqbi, professor at the University of Al Dhaid, will discuss his search for rare references and his experience with *The State of Islam in Al-Andalus* during a session titled “Books That Shaped the Story”.
Emirati writer and researcher Fahad Ali Al Mamari will present “In Search of Rare Books” on 14th November, sharing his experience of building a home library containing around 12,000 volumes and searching for rare books and reference materials.
The programme will also dedicate a session to young readers through “The Big Book Club”, organised in collaboration with Khorfakkan Youth Centre on 8th November to discuss *The Pawned Dagger*, presented in comic-book format.