On 21 October 2026, the activities of the eighteenth Erbil International Book Fair will begin. It is organized by the Madaa Institute for Media, Culture and Arts, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the Kurdistan Region and the Union of Kurdish Writers and Literati of Iraq, with coordination from the Association of Iraqi Publishers and Writers, and under the supervision of President Masoud Barzani. The fair will remain open until 31 of the same month at the Erbil International Fairgrounds, located in Sami Abdulrahman Park.
This year’s edition, held under the slogan “I am Kurdistan,” will feature the participation of more than 400 publishing and printing institutions from 18 countries. They will offer more than one million book titles in various literary, intellectual, and educational fields in Arabic and Kurdish, with its various dialects, alongside English, French, German, Persian, Turkish, and several other foreign languages.
For its eighteenth edition, the fair has chosen the slogan “I am Kurdistan”—a slogan rooted in a cultural perspective that respects Kurdish identity as a freedom-loving civic identity; an identity indebted for its existence to history, language, memory, literature, clothing, music, and the arts, while also embedding the values of coexistence, diversity, and openness to others.
The slogan expresses pride in identity as a cultural and human value and as a bridge for dialogue and communication among cultures. It also seeks to present a contemporary image of Kurdish culture that connects its historical characteristics with its ability to engage with its Iraqi, regional, and global surroundings.
The fair brings this slogan to life through a cultural and artistic campaign accompanying this edition’s activities, drawing on literary and poetic texts, visual arts, design, photographs, cultural performances, and intellectual discussions. In this way, visitors are given the opportunity to become familiar with elements of Kurdish identity—an experience that brings together and connects words, images, art, and knowledge.
The Erbil International Book Fair is one of the most prominent cultural and public events in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. It provides a broad space that brings together publishers, writers, intellectuals, and readers, while respecting cultural and linguistic diversity and openness to various intellectual and literary experiences.
The participating printing and publishing institutions will offer discounts during the fair that reach more than 50% on a broad range of books and publications, giving readers the opportunity to obtain new and diverse titles at discounted prices.
The fair includes an extensive cultural and artistic program encompassing more than 90 activities, including intellectual and literary sessions, discussion-oriented meetings, and encounters with writers and intellectuals, alongside celebrations and musical activities presented in several languages that reflect the cultural diversity of the fair and its audience.
The Erbil International Book Fair will welcome visitors every day from 10 in the morning until 8 at night, during the period from 21 to 31 October 2026, at the Erbil International Fairgrounds located in Sami Abdulrahman Park.
The fair’s management invites all readers and those interested in culture, literature, and art to visit the fair and participate in the activities of its eighteenth edition.
I am Kurdish...
Our meeting with you is in Erbil, where books reach people and cultures come together in an open space for knowledge and dialogue.
