Aragón lives its history

In 1988, the Foundation organized the 2nd Seminar on Islamic Culture, under the motto Aragón lives its History. The choice of the picturesque city of Teruel to host this event was amply justified, as the president of the Foundation, Cherif Abderrahman Jah pointed out, because “Very few places can boast as much wealth of Andalusian legacy as the Islamic Aragón, with its Arab lexicographic heritage, its ethnic diversity, its cultivated orchards, the still extant Arab and mudejar art on its streets…”.

Furthermore, as Julio Caro Baroja explained in his inaugural speech:

“It is not fortuitous that precisely in Aragón so many peculiar antique Arab and “aljamia” manuscripts (written in Arab with Western characters) have been found, or that so many relics of the Muslim artisans’ crafts and their own agricultural techniques have been so lovingly preserved in this region”.

Subjects debated during the seminar were the history of Muslim Aragón, the local mudejar art style, the Morisque presence and agriculture in al-Andalus, etc. These sessions were complemented by several musical performances, a gastronomical cycle, and an exhibition. Numerous prestigious academics and specialists participated in the sessions, such as María Jesus Viguera, Amhed Ali Morsi, Joaquin Lomba, Enrique Nuere, Federico Galmés and Reinhold Kontzi.

The main sponsors were the local government (Diputación General de Aragón), the Teruel City Council and the Spanish Arab Bank.