The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation will launch the seventh edition of the 'Reading Marathon' next Tuesday, under the slogan 'Jordan Reads', coinciding with the National Reading Day, which falls on the 29th of September every year, with the participation of over 130 partner and cooperating entities from various cultural, literary, educational, and community sectors.
The foundation announced the details of the marathon during a press conference held last Sunday at its headquarters in Jabal Amman, in the presence of a number of representatives of partner agencies and institutions, where the importance of the initiative in spreading the culture of reading and enhancing its presence in the daily life of individuals and society was emphasized.
Nizar Al-Hamoud, Director of the Abdul Hameed Shoman Library, said that the institution continues its efforts to enhance awareness of the importance of reading at the national level, pointing out that public libraries are no longer limited to providing books, but have become a source of knowledge that contributes to self-building and keeping up with new knowledge.
He explained that the idea of the 'Reading Marathon' was launched in 2020 with the aim of encouraging members of the community to allocate time for reading within interactive atmospheres that combine knowledge and fun, noting that the event is based on participants reading a specific number of book pages during certain times, which encourages reading to become a daily practice.
Al-Hamoud pointed out that the expansion of the marathon over the past years, through partnerships with national and community institutions, has contributed to reaching various governorates of the Kingdom, leading to the adoption of the 29th of September of each year as the National Reading Day by an official decision issued by the Prime Ministry.
He noted that this year's marathon comes in the context of launching the National Reading Strategy, which was adopted by the Culture, Youth and Sports Committee in the Senate in 2025 under the title 'Towards a Reading Jordan', enhancing efforts aimed at transforming reading into a sustainable community practice.
Al-Hamoud emphasized the importance of partnership with the Ministries of Education, Youth, Culture, and the Greater Amman Municipality, which, according to him, has contributed to supporting the marathon and expanding its scope since its inception.
In order to enhance community participation, the institution has paid special attention this year to the participation of people with disabilities, by providing suitable places for them and providing Braille devices for visually impaired participants, in addition to continuing to equip Abdul Hameed Shoman Libraries to be used by these groups.
The marathon events witness wide participation in various governorates of the Kingdom, through the network of partners, in addition to organizing meetings with writers, intellectuals, and influential figures in the cultural scene, within the 'Marathon Studio' that was launched four years ago, and which broadcasts the marathon events and accompanying activities from the institution's headquarters in Jabal Amman.
For his part, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Culture, Dr. Salem Al-Faqir, reviewed the ministry's efforts to support cultural and reading activities, and its contribution to the implementation of programs and events linked to the marathon and the National Reading Day, in addition to the activities of the National Library.
For his part, the Director of the Public Libraries Department at the Greater Amman Municipality, Khaled Khreibaat, explained that the Municipality participates in the marathon through 20 sites from its libraries spread across the capital, in addition to cooperating with the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in the field of electronic reading, and supporting the event media and promotionally through its various platforms.
For his part, the Head of the Cultural and Environmental Activity Section at the Ministry of Education, Amer Dahesat, pointed out the Ministry's participation in the 2026 Reading Marathon through public and private schools, noting that a reading class was allocated during the National Day, with an emphasis on the importance of involving children in reading activities.
The 'Reading Marathon' initiative is one of the national initiatives launched by the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in 2020 with the aim of enhancing reading as an entrance to knowledge and human building. The initiative was launched from one of the library branches before gradually expanding to include various branches of the institution, then extending through a network of partnerships with government, educational, cultural, and community institutions.
According to the foundation, the initiative has witnessed over the past years the participation of more than one million readers of different age groups, while more than 23 million pages were documented, indicating the widening scope of participation in reading events.
The marathon idea allows participants to read any book they choose and in the place where they are, then documenting what was read within the marathon activities, enhancing the concept of free reading and opening the door of participation to different ages and groups.
With the arrival of September each year, the 'Reading Marathon' has become an annual event that brings together students, families, readers, educational and cultural institutions, along with partners from multiple sectors, within a national celebration of the book and knowledge.
