Al-Andalus Chair: 'The Alhambra in Granada: calligraphy, poetry and architectural utopia'.

The October session of the al-Andalus Chair will be devoted, through a double programme, to what is probably the Andalusian icon par excellence: the Alhambra in Granada.

In addition to the widely recognised architectural and artistic splendour of the monumental complex, there is the symbolic aspect, which is somewhat less interpreted. In a court where the prime ministers were also poets in charge of the writing of the qasidas sultaniyyas -The word became the main tool of propaganda for the Nasrid state power - prolific poems in which the different episodes of the kingdom, from small military victories (transformed into great deeds) to courtly pomp, were described in an epic manner.

Those who designed and built the Alhambra were well aware of this tool and took it into account. Thus, the Alhambra can be seen and interpreted as a great book: its palaces make intensive use of words, either through Qur'anic quotations or through poetry, which distinguishes them from most Islamic architecture.

With the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the architecture (both physical and symbolic) of the Nasrid monument, we have prepared a double programme: on the one hand, we will have a lecture by the Arabist José Miguel Puerta VílchezProfessor in the Department of Art History at the University of Granada and member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Granada.

This conference, under the title The Alhambra in Granada: calligraphy, poetry and architectural utopiawill take place on Wednesday 18 October 2023 at 7 p.m. at the headquarters of the Fundación Tres Culturas del Mediterráneo.

The second part of the programme will take place on tuesday 24 octoberwhen the documentary will be screened The builders of the Alhambra(Spain, 2022, 112 min.) directed by Isabel Fernández, which narrates the construction of the monument at the behest of Yusuf I who, wishing to reflect the splendour of his regime, relied on his vizier Ibn al-Khatib, a genius ahead of his time.

Both events have free admission until full capacity is reached, subject to prior registration at the following links:

Conference The Alhambra in Granada: calligraphy, poetry and architectural utopia

Documentary The builders of the Alhambra

This activity is subsidised by the Junta de Andalucía, within the framework of the subsidy granted by the Consejería de la Presidencia, Interior, Diálogo Social y Simplificación Administrativa (Regional Ministry of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification).