Dhahran | BETH
February 2, 2026

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), a Saudi Aramco initiative, has announced the launch of the fifth edition of the ‘Iqra’ (Read) Marathon, in cooperation with the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information and environmental partners, taking place from February 5 to 7, 2026.

This year’s edition brings together 52 libraries from 13 Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Palestine, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq, marking a 235% increase in participation compared to last year.

Reading as a Strategic Priority

Abdullah Al-Hawas, Head of Ithra Library, said the center places reading at the heart of its mission, noting that Ithra has adopted reading as a core cultural priority for the next five years, alongside the launch of the Arab Reading Index to assess reading trends across the Arab world.

Expanding Cultural Impact

He added that this year’s marathon has expanded to include digital platforms and e-libraries, with 74 libraries registered and 52 selected, compared to 17 libraries in the previous edition—reflecting the initiative’s growing regional impact.

A Cultural Race with Environmental Impact

The ‘Iqra’ Marathon carries a sustainable social message by planting one tree for every 100 pages read, linking knowledge-building with environmental regeneration. Previous editions resulted in the planting of more than 20,000 trees and the reading of over 2.3 million pages.

The marathon serves as a cultural gathering that brings together reading enthusiasts in an intellectual race, where youth, readers, and society at large are the ultimate winners.