The Sharjah book fair opened with 143 volumes of a new Arabic encyclopedia

Emirates News Agency reported on November 4, 2026, that the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair opened that day at Expo Centre Sharjah and runs through November 15. At the opening, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi launched the Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, Arts and Notable Figures and presented the first 143 volumes, in print and digital form. The agency said more than 1,500 specialists from around the world are working on the project, and that the full encyclopedia is expected to be completed next year. He asked the editors to move faster and to hire more contributors.

The same announcement created the Harun Al Rashid Award for Sciences, Literature, Arts, and Notable Figures, a yearly prize for four scholars, researchers, and artists working in Arabic knowledge and culture. The fair itself is the public event: publishers, readers, and the first installment of the reference set. The news is the opening, the 143 volumes now available, and the prize that has been created. It is not a claim that the encyclopedia is finished, and the agency did not publish a visitor count for the first day.