The Minister of Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia, Patricia del Pozo, inaugurated the exhibition this Tuesday “Madinat al-Zahra, the brilliant capital of Islamic Spain” at the New York headquarters of the ISAW (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World), “the most ambitious monograph on Madinat al-Zahara outside Andalusia“, and this, in the words of Del Pozo, “will mark an important milestone in the history of the dissemination of the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Andalusia in the United States.”
In her intervention, the councilor highlighted “the great challenge, as well as the great opportunity, that this exhibition represents, since it involves the transfer of a total of 111 pieces from four Andalusian museums, guaranteeing the maximum conditions of security and conservation of this exhibition. set of pieces of undeniable heritage value.
“We consider that this exhibition will represent a before and after in the Americans’ perception of the rich heritage of Andalusia, by bringing within their reach the history of the largest Muslim archaeological site in Europe”, underlined the head of Culture and Sports.
At the opening ceremony, Del Pozo was joined by ISAW Director Alexander Jones; the founder of this graduate research center, philanthropist Shelby White; the curators of the exhibition, Antonio Vallejo Triano, director of the Medina Azahara archaeological complex, and Eduardo Manzano Moreno, professor-researcher at the Higher Council for Scientific Research, as well as the New York coordinator of the exhibition, Roberta Casagrande-Kim .
Center for Science and Arts
Produced by the Department of Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient (ISAW), this monographic exhibition on the caliphate city of Cordoba Medina Azahara, inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO since 2018, shows the American public the history of Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba in the Spain of the 10th and 11th centuries, an unprecedented topic for most Americans, who are unaware of the importance of Islamic heritage and cultural heritage in the history of medieval Europe.
The fawn of Medina Azahara
Produced by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient (ISAW), the exhibition presents more than 150 pieces, among which 111 works from four Andalusian museums stand out : the Medina Azahara Archaeological Complex (36 pieces), the Archaeological Museum of Córdoba (30 pieces), the Jaén Museum (44 pieces from the Charilla Treasure) and the Archaeological Museum of Jerez (two pieces). To these are added around forty coins from American collections: the Numismatic Society (29 coins), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (3 coins), the Brooklyn Museum (6 coins) and The Hispanic Society of America (one coin ).
