A book fair featuring more than 5,000 books opened at Tartous Cultural Center on Sunday and will run through Nov. 8, state news agency SANA reported on Monday.

Organized by the provincial Culture Directorate and Hawamesh Bookstore, the fair includes works from Syrian publishers and more than 18 Arab publishing houses. Subjects range from literature and history to science and children’s learning materials.

Visitors can exchange, donate or take books free of charge through a separate book-exchange initiative. Discounted secondhand books and new releases are also available.

Co-organizer Rasha Mohammad Suleiman said the event had returned after a three-year break. It forms part of the annual Book Week held in early November.

Source: SANA.

Illustrative file photo: A pile of books photographed on May 13, 2018. Not books or displays at the Tartous fair. Photo: freestocks.org / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0). Full-frame resize; no scene changes.