Bible Society stall packed at Middle East’s biggest book fair in Cairo

Ayman the calligrapher was incredibly busy in the Bible Society section of the Middle East’s largest and oldest book fair.

His pen danced over one sheet of paper and then another as he wrote Bible verses in beautiful script. 

The line of people waiting for their free Bible verse seemed endless at times, with Ayman writing more than 500 verses in total. 

Fears that attendance at this year’s Cairo International Book Fair would be low due to the financial crisis proved unfounded. The four enormous halls at the exhibition centre were packed, with 3.6 million people visiting over the two weeks from 24 January to 6 February.

Due to the generous giving of Bible Society supporters, Scriptures can be heavily discounted in Egypt, so that people struggling financially can afford them. At the book fair, this meant our colleagues could make New Testaments available for just 13p (5 Egyptian pounds). 

A woman came with her son, opened a Bible to the Sermon on the Mount and started reading to him. ‘These are the wonderful teachings I was telling you about,’ she said, and bought the Bible for him.  

Please pray for the 1,552 people who purchased a New Testament at the event. Pray also for the 1,584 people who took advantage of a special offer to get a complete Bible, and for the thousands of others who purchased a total of 15,695 Scripture items over the two weeks. Many of those who visited the Bible Society stand and left with Scriptures are unfamiliar with the Bible.  

Our team in Egypt was also able to demonstrate the brand-new ‘Everyday Bible’ app which has been developed and launched thanks to the giving of Bible Society supporters in England and Wales. In less than a month, over 150,000 chapters have been opened, with an amazing average of 35 minutes per session. 

‘Please pray for our team as they continue to develop and expand our digital presence and platforms in order to make God’s word electronically accessible to all,’ said Amir Elhamy, General Director of the Bible Society in Egypt.

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