Brochure: Casa Árabe's headquarters in Cordoba

CORDOBA

Casa Árabe

The Cordoba headquarTers

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asa Árabe is a consortium formed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Spanish Agency

for International Development, the autonomous

asa Árabe’s headquarters in Cordoba is known as the Casa Mudéjar building, which comprises five different houses

linked by galleries, passages and stairways,

communities of Madrid and Andalusia and the

with three courtyards and a tower. The original

town councils of Madrid and Cordoba. It is run by

building dates from the 14th century, although

a Governing Board and a General Directorship.

most of the present structures belong to the

Its High Board of Trustees is presided over by

15th and 16th centuries. It is located in the

Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.

southern area of Cordoba’s historic centre, near

The main goals of Casa Árabe, with headquarters in Madrid and Cordoba, are to strengthen bilateral and multilateral policies, to promote economical, cultural and educational

the Mosque-Cathedral, within the area declared a World Heritage Site.

National Heritage has handed over this historic building to Casa Árabe as its headquarters

relations, as well as supporting the develop-

in Cordoba and the restoration and adaptation

ment of training and knowledge on the Arab

works of the Casa Mudéjar to host Casa Árabe

and Muslim world. Casa Árabe wants to be a

have been awarded the “World Heritage Cities

place of mutual knowledge and shared reflec-

Award” 2011 by the Ministry of Culture.

tion: a meeting point.

The logo of Casa Árabe, which evokes the c of “casa-home” is also a stylized version of the Arabic letter ayn, the initial of the word arabi, “Arab”.

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1. Meeting rooM 2. Patio with Mudéjar arcade 3. exhibition rooM and Plasterwork of the late 14th century 4. auditoriuM 5. Media library

serViCes and WebsiTe

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edia Library. It is a multimedia centre specialised in contemporary Arab cinema and culture, as well as in re-

sources related to the Arab world’s politics and society. Open to the public, it has a bibliogra-

Patios. The headquarter comprises three courtyards for outdoor activities.

Cafeteria. It is located in the old stables of the House with self-service machines.

Premises to be hired. The different spaces

phic collection of reference works, in addition to

within Casa Árabe can be hired to organize

sound and video archives.

meetings, workshops, cultural events and so on.

Auditorium and Cinema. With capacity for 100 people, this is a dual-use space adaptable

Website. www.casaarabe.es Casa Árabe’s website offers detailed information on the whole range of activities which are

for conferences and film shows.

Exhibition room. It is an area designed to show exhibitions and artistic installations.

Meeting rooms. Multipurpose spaces for

organized and announced by the institution. It is also a reference site of different resources available online, on economics and business, on Arabic language and on Arab countries’ contem-

seminars, forums and small courses.

porary culture and socio-political latest news.

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The Casa mudéjar

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ertain cities have a soul, are homes

domestic and feudal architecture, the abode

to memories, mythical places in the

of important families in Cordoba, such as the

collective imagination. These cities

Venegas and Córdoba families.

have their own paradigms that permeate into

Its courtyards are a reflection of the plaza,

world consciousness. Cordoba is one of these

meeting points that are the transition between

places, a living organism shaped over centuries

public and private space, and one of Cordoba’s

by different spaces that intertwine to create an

main charms.

identity of meeting points.

One of these spaces is this house, an

Beyond its Baroque facade, with its stone support for mounting horses, we delve into a

impression that survives time, opening its front

covered stone passageway that takes you into

door to take us into a complex world of large

the first patio, where the stables and coach

rooms and split-level patios, interlinked by pas-

houses are found. Here, a triple Mudéjar arcade

sageways, covered balconies and stairwells.

with octagonal pillars overlooks a renaissance

Half hidden at the back of the ancient Calle

fountain with a figurehead. The next patio,

del Tesorero (today Calle Samuel de los Santos

connected to the previous by the landing of

Gener), and close to the Aljama Mosque, this

the main stairway, is the most important and

house is the result of the joining of five houses

preserves the oldest remnants of the past; in

and four courtyards built between the 14th and

the centre there is a tiled fountain and a well in

15 centuries. Its original structure and layout is

front of the house’s main room, accessed from

still intact, important remnants of Mudéjar

a portico with semi-circular arches held by Ca-

th

lateral

front

liph shafts and capitals that pre-date the house

with a series of painted murals from the end of

due to the reused materials they are made

the 15th century, which are the work of Pedro

from. In this area the ceilings catch the eye: in

Romana and Pedro Fernández and one of the

the covered balcony the ceiling is made from

finest displays of the scant remains of painting

plaster that imitates wood, and the one that

from this time period found in the city. Among

covers the main room is decorated with organic

the geometric decor and tracery the coat of

and geometric features and has arches with

arms of the Córdoba and Carrillo families are

the coat of arms of the Venegas and Córdoba

visible alongside the human figures identified

families. This part of the house, based on Cal-

as a representation of virtues (Faith, Charity,

iph palace constructions, reflects the influence

Strength, Prudence, and Justice).

of Islamic architecture in this period and what

Thus the house maintains a large part of

really makes it unique is the plasterwork on the

its original architectural structures despite its

front door (late quarter of the 14th century).

different uses throughout the centuries: palace,

Through a covered balcony there is another

living quarters, the home of the Archaeological

interior courtyard with a trough, accessed from

Museum of Cordoba between 1923 and 1959

the main courtyard, with an intriguing kitchen

and the project for ethnological museum in the

on the upper floor equipped with a stove and

Eighties as well as being used as administrative

a tiled bell-shaped chimney. On the upper

and cultural offices in the Nineties.

floor there is also another of the house’s large rooms (probably a bedchamber) decorated

Today, converted into the home of Casa Árabe, with three courtyards, an exhibition

space, assembly room, meeting rooms, seminar rooms and offices, the house is still a vibrant space inhabited by memory, and from within its four walls it will continue to work to project this memory into the future.

With the mix of remains from the 13th century, Mudéjar, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque... this unique space is a simple reflection of the city of Cordoba: a mix of races, diversity, multiculturalism and meeting points.

Our past and heritage is not a hollow stage, but a living organism that continues to make history and project these values out into the world from places such as the Casa Mudéjar.

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M.ª Dolores Baena Alcántara director of the archaeological MuseuM of cordoba

1. Patio of the fountain 2. alfarje 3. stables 4. Patio of the trough 5, 6 & 7 Mudéjar Paintings of the 15th century

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meZqUiTa-CaTedraL

+ 34 957 498 413 www.casaarabe.es C/ Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9 · 14003 Córdoba

Casa Árabe is a ConsorTium Comprising:

Depósito Legal CO-975-2012

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