Unlike larger fairs, Zakho offers more intimate networking opportunities and lower exhibition costs, making it an attractive entry point for mid-sized houses seeking regional partnerships.
The city of Zakho in Iraqi Kurdistan is hosting its inaugural International Book Fair from 1–6 December 2025, establishing a new literary hub in the region.
Organiser Kovan Hussein confirms that 50 publishing houses from ten countries will showcase over 20,000 titles, making this the largest cultural event in the city’s history. The fair positions Zakho alongside Erbil and Sulaymaniyah as a key destination on the Kurdistan Region’s literary exhibition circuit.
Where Exactly Are Zakho and Kurdistan?
Contrary to common confusion with Syria’s Kurdish regions, Zakho is located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, within Dohuk Governorate. Situated just kilometres from the Turkish border at the Ibrahim Khalil crossing, the city serves as a strategic commercial gateway with a population exceeding 200,000. The Kurdistan Region operates as an autonomous federal entity within Iraq, with its own government and distinct cultural identity spanning approximately 40,000 square kilometres.
A Maturing Literary Marketplace
Zakho’s debut follows the established success of the Erbil International Book Fair, now in its seventeenth iteration and regularly attracting tens of thousands of visitors, and Sulaymaniyah’s eleven-day fair offering hundreds of thousands of titles.
The Zakho event, held at the University of Zakho’s International Exhibition Hall, will feature multilingual publications in Kurdish, Arabic, and English, alongside daily seminars, panel discussions, and artistic performances. President Masoud Barzani’s recent visit underlines the political support for developing the city’s cultural infrastructure.
What This Means for Publishing Professionals
For international publishers, this fair represents direct access to a previously underserved market of over six million Kurdish readers in Iraq, plus cross-border audiences. The region’s strategic location facilitates distribution into neighbouring territories, while the autonomous administration’s investment demonstrates long-term commitment.
Unlike larger fairs, Zakho offers more intimate networking opportunities and lower exhibition costs, making it an attractive entry point for mid-sized houses seeking regional partnerships.
The programme’s emphasis on exchanging expertise and discovering new publications provides foreign publishers a practical platform to gauge demand and establish distribution channels in Iraqi Kurdistan’s evolving readership landscape, where literacy rates continue to improve and digital access expands.
A Significant Cultural Milestone
The Zakho International Book Fair signals more than a local event – it represents the democratisation of literary access across the Kurdistan Region and opens a fresh corridor for international publishing engagement in a strategically vital location.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
