In Konya, the theme of Anatolia’s largest book fair is “Palestine and Gaza”.

The 11th Konya Book Days, organized by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality, opened its doors to visitors at the Seljuk Congress Center. In this grand book festival atmosphere in Konya, the largest book fair in Anatolia brought together 250 publishers, 250 authors, and millions of book readers.

While the aim of the 11th Konya Book Days, which is filled with a cultural festival atmosphere, is to instill a love of reading in young people and children, this year’s theme is the genocide and humanitarian atrocities taking place in Palestine. The theme of the Konya Book Days is defined as “Palestine, Jerusalem, and Gaza,” with the motto “Read for Freedom.” The cultural festival, which includes author meetings, signing days, discussions, panels, workshops, and children’s activities, will last until Sunday, October 27. During the 11th Konya Book Days, publishers are offering various discount campaigns to readers, while the Konya Metropolitan Municipality is organizing shuttle services for schools attending the fair.

Konya Metropolitan Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay emphasized that Konya, which has hosted ancient civilizations for centuries, is one of Turkey’s important cities that stands out not only for its identity as an industrial, agricultural, and sports city but also for its artistic and cultural aspects. Mayor Altay stated, “We see the Book Days not just as an event filled with books, but as an important organization that strengthens Konya’s cultural memory and promotes the habit of reading.”

“Read for Freedom” to draw attention to the drama in Gaza

Stating that one of their greatest responsibilities is to instill a love of reading particularly in young people and children, Konya Metropolitan Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay said, “This year’s theme for the Konya Book Days will be ‘Palestine, Jerusalem, and Gaza’ due to the humanitarian drama and genocide experienced in Palestine. Our motto will be ‘Read for Freedom.’ I invite all book lovers from our region and from all over Turkey, especially from Konya, to the Konya Book Days, which will continue until October 27.”

Book lovers will be able to meet millions of books at the 11th Konya Book Days, the largest book event in Anatolia, from October 27, Sunday, between 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM at the Seljuk Congress Center.

Book lovers meet millions of books

Şenay Değerli Türkmen, a Turkish teacher and children’s book author, expressed her gratitude, saying, “I want to thank for this opportunity given to us at the Konya Book Days. I want to instill the love of books by coming together with children and interacting with readers. I hope we can influence the children to be more successful in the future.”

Prof. Dr. Gültekin Türkmen from Necmettin Erbakan University stated, “We met with our youth and discussed in detail how they should benefit from the importance of books and what advantages they bring to our lives. I would like to thank especially Konya Metropolitan Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay for his efforts.”

Educator and author Keriman Çelik said, “It is wonderful to meet at the Konya Book Days. We especially look forward to our young generation. A book is very important for the education of our young generation. They must come to the 11th Konya Book Days to understand their past and future.”

Young people, students, and parents visiting the Seljuk Congress Center emphasized that they are looking forward to the continuation of this cultural festival and that everyone aged 7 to 70 should participate in this magnificent cultural festival featuring millions of books.