May rain, bane of the book fair

According to Fars report, according to the previous announcement of the officials, the opening of the 34th book fair was supposed to be held “in a popular way” in the mosque hall, but due to the wind and rain, it was held inside the shed and booth.

Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, apologized to the attendees and said: “The rain of God’s mercy changed the location of this ceremony and this place did not have the conditions to hold a magnificent ceremony and everyone was annoyed because of the lack of space.” Of course, we thank God that the rain of divine mercy made our beautiful Tehran even more beautiful in this beautiful month of the year.

It was the middle of May 2016, when the rain caused flooding in the temporary halls of the carnival exhibition in Aftab city, and for various political reasons, no one hesitated to rush to the Tehran municipality.

But after 5 years and the completion of the World Trade Building in the international exhibition complex of Aftab city and its serious overhaul in the new management period, Aftab city was ready to hold a book fair.

In March of this year, the Ministry of Guidance announced a list of its requests for holding a book fair to Tehran Municipality. Except for two cases that had a financial burden, the rest of the technical and expert issues were approved.

The three halls and the Hall of Nations in Aftab city in 1401 are now in the stage of operation without any defects, having held more than 20 events. The significant presence of enthusiasts in car, motorcycle and tile and ceramic exhibitions is undoubtedly a confirmation of this claim.

Now, with the holding of the oil exhibition in the Seoul exhibition and the book exhibition in Mosli, the CEO of Shahr Aftab announces the beginning of the new phase of building new halls. Salons in accordance with the comprehensive design and like the unique triple salons.

The city council has allocated a significant budget for this issue, and by the end of the year, the construction of these halls will be finished, and there will be no more temporary halls and tents.

And the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance further said that we consider the book fair as a cultural festival, which is not like it anywhere in the world, rather than an arena for buying books.

But Mr. Minister!

We still remember many problems in transportation, comfort and health facilities, and queuing for sandwiches and mineral water in the previous period. We remember heavy traffic and the difficulty of commuting by subway.

This unique cultural event should be held in a unique atmosphere.

From today, decide to hold an exhibition at Tehran International Aftab Exhibition next year.

Neither your apology for the lack of space for people to attend this unique event, nor your effort in the 90th minute, is of any benefit to the people!

Ahmed Sadeghi, a member of the Tehran City Council

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