Representing Turkey at the fair, Nil Publishing’s stand was among the most popular stops for visitors interested in Turkey. “Sonsuz Nur” (Eternal Light), written by Fethullah Gülen, and “Avdet-ul Fursan” (Return of the Cavalry), written by the late Farid al Ansari, telling the story of Gülen’s life, were among the leading titles.Around 600 publishing houses had stands at the fair, and none of their books were censored by state officials at this year’s event. Because of the variety of books exhibited, the fair was visited by a large number of people coming not only from Saudi Arabia but also from neighboring states, particularly in the Gulf region.
Şükrü Şahin, Nil Publishing’s representative in Egypt, told Today’s Zaman that they were very happy with the amount of interest their stand had received. “Most importantly, some of the visitors who had bought our books in the past brought their friends with them and bought a lot more this year,” he said.
Stating that they have been tirelessly working to build a cultural bridge between Turkey and the Arab world, Şahin noted that their monthly Hira magazine, published in Arabic, has become increasingly popular, too. He added that books on the history of the Ottoman Empire, the sacred belongings of the Prophet Muhammad and the life of Sultan Abdülhamid II were some of their other best-selling publications.
Şahin also talked about the solidarity they felt during the fair. “Even if they were not going to buy any books, visitors came and said they appreciated the foreign policy followed by Turkey,” he said.
