Sharjah hosts FUNCI's exhibition ‘Cultural landscapes of Al-Andalus’ - FUNCI

The new exhibition by the Islamic Culture Foundation(FUNCI), “Cultural Landscapes of Al-Andalus,” recently opened at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization (United Arab Emirates), on the occasion of the 27^th ICOM General Conference 2025 (International Council of Museums), which will take place from November 11-17 and is part of an extensive cultural program in the country.

This exhibition is the result of collaboration between the Islamic Culture Foundation, and the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, under the Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA), one of the most relevant cultural institutions in the region. The exhibition will be open to visitors until April 12, 2026.

The opening ceremony was held on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, with the presence of Sheikh Dr. Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, representative of the Emir of Sharjah, Emilio Pin Godos, Spanish Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and Aisha Rashid Deemas, Director of the Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA). The guided tour was led by a FUNCI team headed by Encarna Gutiérrez, General Secretary, who attended representing Cherif Abderrahman Jah (Foundation Chairman), Inés Eléxpuru (FUNCI Communications Director), and Aurora Ferrini (exhibition coordinator). Also present was part of the museum team, led by Entisar Al Obeidli and Hazelle Page, exhibition coordinators in Sharjah.

To achieve a comprehensible and attractive presentation for all types of audiences, an innovative exhibition design made with sustainable materials was created by artist and graphic designer Miguel Ripoll, who has been collaborating with the Foundation for more than two decades.

Based on recent archaeological discoveries made in rural areas previously believed to be unpopulated in al-Andalus, the aim was to show a vision of those cultural landscapes that covered a much wider territory in the Iberian Peninsula and had more relevance in the productive economy than traditionally thought. These studies have been the seed of this new exhibition titled “Cultural Landscapes of al-Andalus,” divided in turn into two spaces.

One of them is reserved for the renewed exhibition “Gardens of al-Andalus” – now called Gardens of Delight – one of FUNCI’s most celebrated exhibitions with the greatest international reach, and another encompasses FUNCI’s new exhibition under the title Lands of Abundance, which hosts these new contents referring to rural life, dryland productive landscapes, manufactured products, livestock, and markets of al-Andalus.

Archaeobotany and Archaeozoology

The day following the inauguration was dedicated to a roundtable consisting of Leonor Peña-Chocarro and Marta Moreno García (Instituto de Historia del CSIC, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas of Spain), who are part of the exhibition’s scientific committee, and who spoke about unknown aspects of Andalusi rural culture in relation to archaeobotany and archaeozoology. Dr. Saleh Muhammad Zeki Mahmood Al-Leheabi, professor at the University of Sharjah, also participated with an interesting presentation of the very numerous contemporary and medieval sources written in Arabic on aspects related to the exhibition.

Media Impact and Collaboration

The exhibition has been a notable success in terms of attendance and media impact. For the first time, an exhibition dedicated to the cultural landscapes of al-Andalus is being presented in Sharjah, generating great interest among both the local public and the international community present in the emirate for the ICOM General Conference.

Local media such as El Correo del Golfo, Gulf Today, Sharjah 24, Emirates News Agency, and Gulf News have highlighted the relevance of the exhibition and its capacity to show the historical and cultural ties between al-Andalus and the eastern Islamic world. The inaugural days and conferences had high public attendance, notably including academics, heritage professionals, and students, who valued the scientific and aesthetic quality of the exhibition.

“Cultural Landscapes of al-Andalus” has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of numerous institutions and professionals who have contributed with their knowledge, experience, and material support.

In addition, to the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, the exhibition has had the support and participation of the Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible of Spain, the Instituto de Historia del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IH-CSIC), with the involvement of researchers Leonor Peña-Chocarro and Marta Moreno García, and the Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses “Don Juan Manuel”, through its Proyecto Alquerías – La Graja, directed by José Luis Simón García, Pedro Jiménez Castillo, and José María Moreno Narganes. Additionally, we have had the support of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, the Ayuntamiento de Higueruela, the Jardín Botánico de Córdoba (IMGEMA) and the Jardín Botánico de Castilla-La Mancha.

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