Damascus-SANA
The book industry that the Arabs have known since time immemorial, and they called its makers the name of Raqin, and the path of the development of this industry to our present time and its transformation into publishing houses that formed the focus of the symposium held by the Al-Assad National Library within the days of Syrian culture under the title “Waraqa Yesterday.. Published today.”
The director of the Al-Assad Library, Iyad Morshed, who moderated the symposium, reviewed the paper industry and the concept of paper and the factors for its prosperity in the Abbasid and Andalusian eras, documenting the products of literature and thought that were at that stage and through which the papermakers were able to perform a cultural mission throughout history.
In turn, the Director of Manuscripts in the Library, Amina Al-Hassan, spoke about great authors and writers who were interested in the book industry, such as Yaqout Al-Hamwi, Abu Hayyan Al-Tawhidi and Al-Jahiz, which reflects an early awareness among the Arab intellectual of the danger of the copyists’ profession.
As for the deputy director of manuscripts, Heba al-Maleh, she spoke about the Warraqin markets, which she likened to the Okaz market and the Warraqa market in the Abbasid era, where she was the legitimate mother of book revival and publishing in Arab capitals, such as Al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad and Al-Halbouni in Damascus.
On the other hand, Haitham Hafez, head of the Syrian Publishers Association, explained that the basis for building culture is the publishing industry, stressing that Syrian publishers made effective contributions to the development of Arab and global civilization and for a period of time remained the most important book suppliers to Arab countries.
Hafez pointed to ways to ensure the development of the culture industry based on paper writing to protect our creativity throughout history, stressing the need to carry our message using all means and methods that contribute to demonstrating our civilization and its antiquity.
In a statement to reporters, Minister of Culture Dr. Lubana Mushawah referred to the importance of the publishing industry in building knowledge and its contribution to the cultural process and preserving its position throughout history, noting the methodological and constructive discussions that came in the symposium at the heart of the true cultural reality.
Muhammad Khaled Al-Khidr
