Exhibition Catalogue: Cultural Landscapes of al-Andalus

The Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI), within the framework of the Med-O-Med international cooperation platform — whose aim is the safeguarding of Islamic natural and cultural heritage through networking as a tool to combat Islamophobia — together with the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization (Sharjah Museums Authority), have joined forces to organise and subsequently publish the collaborative catalogue of the temporary exhibition Cultural Landscapes of al-Andalus. This exhibition was on display at the Emirati museum from 15 October 2025 to 12 April 2026.

The exhibition takes the visitors on a visual and intellectual journey into the heart of al-Andalus from the eighth century onwards. In the Andalusi civilization, interactions between culture, science, and local knowledge reshaped the natural landscape and developed advanced agricultural and pastoral systems, which reflected the ingenuity of Islamic civilization in harmonizing nature and culture.

As the first of its kind, this exhibition presents a holistic analysis of the cultural landscapes of al-Andalus, combining historical narratives with modern approaches to both urban and rural environments. It does not merely recall the past but offers visitors a deeper understanding of a civilization whose legacy continues to inspire our world today, unveiling a profound environmental and cultural heritage that bears witness to the fact that civilization is an integrated system of knowledge, innovation, and sustainability. “Cultural Landscapes of Al-Andalus” shows a civilisation that is respectful of nature, and, according to the Qur’an, it is nature that provides the answer to the new environmental challenges to be faced by our future generations.

The world today cannot deny the grandeur of this civilisation which bears universal values, which brought light to Hispania during the Middle Ages and whose scientific, philosophical and spiritual projection was to lay the foundations for the Renaissance in Europe.

The book is prefaced by both the Foundation’s President, Cherif Abderrahman Jah, and the former Director General of the Sharjah Museums Authority, Aisha Rashid Deemas. It contains a selection of the exhibited pieces along with their corresponding catalogue entries, the texts that accompanied the exhibition panels, and a design inspired by the visual identity shown in the Museum.

Neither the exhibition nor its catalogue would have been possible without the support of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación, Embajada de España en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos), the Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible, el Centro de Estudios y Experimentación de Obras Públicas (CEDEX), the CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Instituto de Historia), the Proyecto Alquerías – La Graja (Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses «Don Juan Manuel», IEA), Leonor Peña-Chocarro, Marta Moreno, and the technical team of the Islamic Culture Foundation and Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization.

Practical information

The Cultural Landscapes of al-Andalus exhibition catalogue is available through the Foundation’s online shop.

Language: Arab-English (bilingual edition)

Contact: info@funci.org

Phone: +34 91 543 46 73