{"id":409855,"date":"2026-04-30T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=409855"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:40:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:40:50","slug":"the-legacy-of-al-andalus-in-dialogue-with-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/the-legacy-of-al-andalus-in-dialogue-with-today\/","title":{"rendered":"The legacy of al-Andalus in dialogue with today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

*By Daniel Gallego Arcas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in the Andalusia region means living, from an early age, with the constant presence of history. In cities, monuments, and landscapes, there are visible traces of a past in which different cultures coexisted and produced knowledge together. It was in this context that I first encountered the legacy of al-Andalus\u2014not just as a subject of study, but as a living part of everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This personal experience makes the exhibition<\/a> A Mathematical Walk through al-Andalus<\/strong> at the Instituto Cervantes of S\u00e3o Paulo even more meaningful. The show stems precisely from the desire to share with the Brazilian public a heritage that goes far beyond European history: it is a universal legacy, built from the meeting of cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more than eight centuries, the Islamic presence in the Iberian Peninsula fostered one of the most fertile periods of intellectual exchange in history. Knowledge from the Arab world, the Mediterranean, and the East was translated, expanded, and integrated into local traditions, contributing decisively to the development of mathematics, science, and philosophy in the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This knowledge is strikingly embodied in architecture. When observing spaces such as the Alhambra or the Mosque of C\u00f3rdoba, we see that mathematics is present in every detail\u2014in the symmetries, the proportions, the geometric patterns that organize and give meaning to the forms. For those who grew up in Andalusia, these elements are part of emotional memory; for those who encounter them for the first time, they become a gateway to understanding the depth of this legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition proposes exactly this perspective: to reveal how fundamental mathematical concepts structure some of the most emblematic works of al-Andalus. Through 24 thematic panels, divided into three geographic areas\u2014Granada, Seville, and C\u00f3rdoba\u2014the visitor follows a path that connects art, science, and history, turning mathematics into an accessible, visual language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than presenting content, the exhibition invites reflection. At a time when cultural differences are often seen as barriers, al-Andalus reminds us that encounters between peoples can be a powerful driver of innovation and progress. It was from this dialogue that scientific advances emerged\u2014advances that still shape how we understand the world today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another central aspect is the educational commitment. By bringing together mathematics, architecture, and history, we seek to create new forms of learning capable of engaging diverse audiences. The exhibition turns abstract concepts into concrete experiences, fostering critical thinking and broadening cultural horizons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing this initiative to Brazil, in Portuguese and for the first time, also reinforces the Instituto Cervantes\u2019 mission to promote cultural exchange and the circulation of knowledge. S\u00e3o Paulo, with its diversity and dynamism, offers an especially favorable environment for this dialogue between different traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Mathematical Walk through al-Andalus\u201d is, at its core, an invitation to see the world differently. To recognize that mathematics is not only in books, but in cities, in forms, and in cultures. And, above all, to understand that it is in the meeting of different bodies of knowledge\u2014like the one that shaped the history of al-Andalus\u2014that the richest paths to the future are built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Daniel Gallego Arcas is director of the Instituto Cervantes of S\u00e3o Paulo. He was born in Motril (Granada), in southern Spain, in the Andalusia region, and has lived in Brazil for 14 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opinions expressed in the articles are the authors\u2019 responsibility.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Supplied\/Instituto Cervantes<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an article, S\u00e3o Paulo Instituto Cervantes Director Daniel Gallego Arcas reflects on the Muslim heritage in the Iberian Peninsula that contributed to the development of mathematics, science, and philosophy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2337,"featured_media":409827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20687],"tags":[56456,56459,19629,29750,56672,56673,56671,56674],"class_list":{"0":"post-409855","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-al-andalus","9":"tag-andalusia","10":"tag-architecture-en","11":"tag-arquitetura-en","12":"tag-cordoba-2","13":"tag-instituto-cervantes-2","14":"tag-mathematics-2","15":"tag-seville"},"wps_subtitle":"In an article, S\u00e3o Paulo Instituto Cervantes Director Daniel Gallego Arcas reflects on the Muslim heritage in the Iberian Peninsula that contributed to the development of mathematics, science, and philosophy.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2337"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409855"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":409860,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409855\/revisions\/409860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}