The United Kingdom is the designated Guest of Honour for the Sharjah International Book Fair, SIBF, 2017, as part of the UK/UAE 2017 Year of Creative Collaboration between the UK and UAE. SIBF takes place on the 1st to 11th November.

SIBF is the largest book fair in the Arab Region and the third largest in the world. As a guest of honour, UK will showcase excellence in contemporary British publishing, brands and writing, as well as the Birmingham Qur’an manuscript, which is a considered a global treasure and is currently held at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Research Library.

The Department for International Trade, DIT, London Region, European Regional Development Fund's, ERDF’s, Global Growth Project and the UK Publishers Association are organising a stand at the book fair. For two dedicated trade days, UK publishers attending SIBF will be able to meet new business partners from the entire Arab region and find new export and translation rights trading opportunities. UK exhibitors confirmed to attend, include; Helen McAleer, Mira Publishing House, Rowman & Littlefield. Austin Macauley, Erly Stage Studios, Gingko Library Ltd and BookBrunch.

Literary initiatives will be presented by the London Book Fair in association with SIBF on the theme of 'Book and Brand Britain’, an exhibit and content programme that explores the enduring value and flexibility of British brands from the Monarchy to Matilda and other Roald Dahl properties, from Blyton to Bond through to Shakespeare in all formats.

A programme of literary events highlighting contemporary British writing will be organised by the British Council featuring leading authors Neel Mukherjee and Peter Frankopan.

The University of Birmingham in partnership with the British Council and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development as strategic partner, will present a digital exhibition of the Birmingham Quran manuscript; a piece consisting of two parchment leaves of the Quran that have been radiocarbon dated to the early seventh century, making them one of the earliest examples of the Islamic holy book in existence.

The digital exhibition was a key feature of the launch of the UK/UAE 2017 Year of Cultural Collaboration, in November 2017, when H.R.H. Prince Charles the Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall, visited Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain.

Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, said, "This is the first time that we have had a country of honour at the Sharjah International Book Fair and this is a further strengthening of the bond between our two countries. We look forward to a fruitful cultural exchange, in particular with British authors coming to Sharjah."

Jacks Thomas, Director of The London Book Fair, said that SIBF is an essential gateway to the Arab world and showcases both its own and the wider region’s culture and literature to an enthusiastic and far-reaching audience, and it is an honour to be its first guest of honour.

Jim James, Senior International Trade Adviser at the DIT, said, "UK has a long-standing and warm relationship with the UAE which has been an important trading partner for many years. Exports to the UAE are worth over ?37million to the UK and we look forward to further enhancing the ties between our two countries."