Nasiriyah hosts first ‘Nasiriyah Reads’ festival, distributing 10,000 free books

NASIRIYAH — Nasiriyah’s corniche came alive with its first “Nasiriyah Reads” cultural festival, where organizers distributed more than 10,000 free books alongside photography exhibitions, theater performances, poetry readings, a handicrafts bazaar and chess games, drawing a large youth crowd.

Organizer Mohammed Ahmed told 964media the event aimed to create “a broad space for readers and intellectuals” and to showcase the talents of Nasiriyah’s people across art, culture and games. “It is a cultural event for all segments of Nasiriyah society,” he said.

Attendees welcomed the scale of the turnout. “This event came late, because for years we have not seen such a large youth turnout,” said Asaad al-Mutairi. “We rely on these young faces to lead culture in the future.” Fatima Nassar said the city has “always been ahead in creativity, culture, music and art,” and expressed hope the festival would continue. Inam al-Shathar said the youth turnout at book stalls and exhibitions showed “that young people are seeking knowledge and developing themselves,” and called on the local government to support civil society organizations in staging similar events.