JEDDAH: Hundreds of authors and publishing houses from around the world are expected to descend on a Saudi city for a major book fair.

The fifth edition of the Jeddah International Book Fair was launched on Wednesday under the patronage of Makkah’s governor and adviser to King Salman, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, and the support of Jeddah’s governor and the event’s higher committee chairman, Prince Mishaal bin Majed.

More than 400 publishing houses from 40 states will participate in the exhibition being staged on a 30,000-square-meter site at Events Land in South Obhur, which overlooks Jeddah’s Corniche.

The fair will feature 350,000 books catering for all reader tastes, and more than 200 authors will be present to sign their books.

Prince Mishaal said the fair was one of the largest specialized exhibitions of its kind in the Kingdom offering a varied cultural program through more than 50 events.

A pavilion will be specially allocated to Saudi authors, who have not been able to find a publishing house, to give them a platform from which to promote their books, as part of an initiative organized by the Ministry of Culture.