KHARTOUM, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Although Khartoum's citizens are no longer as devoted to reading as they were, initiatives to keep the reading spirit glowing have never ceased.

To this end, the Work Cultural Group initiated the Mafroosh Book Fair, which is organized during the first week of each month at one of the squares or sidewalks of the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Mafroosh is an exhibition for selling used books and it mainly aims to encourage reading and exchange valuable books that are not available at bookstores.

This month, the group selected the square of Sudan National Museum to organize the Mafroosh, where the fair is accompanied by other cultural activities such as fine arts exhibitions.

The books displayed at Mafroosh cover different historical periods and include novels, science and music books.

Due to the economic conditions, people abandoned reading and the interest in books declined, Abdalla Al-Zain, one of the founders of the group, told Xinhua on Wednesday.

"The idea of Mafroosh tends to reactivate the reading spirit, revive the cultural activities in the country and above all else encourage reading," Al-Zain said.

Meanwhile, the book fair provides an opportunity for people to obtain books with reasonable prices.

Abdul-Malik Iddris, owner of a bookstore and a participant of the Mafroosh fair, told Xinhua that "the books displayed at the fair include important knowledge outcomes."

He added "knowledge is not acquired through education alone. The book is an important intellectual product, and we, through Mafroosh fair, are seeking to promote this product and increase people's bond with it."

Nahla Al-Maghribi, a Sudanese student and a visitor of the fair, praised the idea of the Mafroosh book fair.

"I'm generally interested in history books. I visit the fair regularly and it is a nice work," she said.

"The fair contains various and distinguished books that cannot be found anywhere else," she added.

Established in 2012, the Work Cultural Group brings together a number of Sudanese fine artists, playwrights, musicians, poets and authors who are active in many cultural fields.