Exhibition catalogue: “Living Matter. A tour of the botany, art and memory of Al-Andalus”

This publication, the result of a collaboration between the Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI) and the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (MAN), invites us to discover the extraordinary legacy of al-Andalus botany through a journey that brings together nature, science, archaeology, art and cultural heritage.

Drawing on the plants in the historic garden, as well as items from the museum’s permanent collections —specifically rooms 23 and 26 (first floor), which are dedicated to the Al-Andalus period— the book, which brings together the contents of the exhibition, explores the many ways in which the plant world was present in the lives of Al-Andalus societies.

The publication also brings together a series of academic articles that delve into different aspects of this legacy: from agronomy to botany, medicine, aromatic and culinary uses, as well as the symbolic and spiritual dimensions of the gardens. An essential book for gaining an insight into the natural and cultural heritage of Al-Andalus and discovering how its legacy lives on in our history and our landscape.