Rabat’s World Book Capital

Rabat is opening its UNESCO World Book Capital 2026 year this month, tying the launch to Morocco’s biggest annual book fair. (unesco.org) (barlamantoday.com) The official program starts on April 23, World Book and Copyright Day, and runs into the 31st International Publishing and Book Fair at OLM Souissi in Rabat from May 1 to May 10, 2026. (barlamantoday.com) (siel.ma) Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication is organizing the fair, with France named guest of honor and the 14th-century Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta chosen as the symbolic figure for this edition. (internationalpublishers.org) (en.hespress.com) UNESCO awarded Rabat the World Book Capital designation on October 8, 2024, after a recommendation from its advisory committee. The one-year title begins on April 23, 2026, following Rio de Janeiro’s 2025 term. (unesco.org) UNESCO said Rabat was selected for its reading and literacy plans, its work to widen access to books, and its publishing base, which includes 54 publishing houses and a growing network of bookstores. (unesco.org) (en.assahafa.com) The fair is also scaling up its international footprint. Organizers say the 2026 edition will bring together about 890 exhibitors from 61 countries across a 17,000-square-meter site in Rabat. (msn.com) (en.expresstv.ma) France’s guest-of-honor role comes a year after Morocco was guest of honor at the Paris Book Festival in 2025, giving this year’s Rabat fair a reciprocal French-Moroccan focus. (en.hespress.com) Ibn Battuta’s place in the program points the fair beyond publishing trade alone. Organizers say the 2026 edition will include seminars on his legacy, meetings on travel writing, and a dedicated pavilion tied to his work and image. (en.hespress.com) For Rabat, the next three weeks are set up as one continuous literary season: a UNESCO capital launch on April 23, then a ten-day fair beginning May 1 at OLM Souissi. (barlamantoday.com) (siel.ma)