You can now read the comic “Sira and the Ministry of Knowledge” (in Spanish) and, if you’re a teacher or have the soul of a tour guide, travel back in time with your pupils, friends or family to discover the secret of Sira’s longevity, her wise companions on their adventures, and one of her most renowned scientists, Ibn Firnas (“the sage of al-Andalus”), a pioneer of aeronautics and inventor of the first glider.  

Guided by the comic’s protagonist, Sira, a 10th-century scholar from Córdoba, the Córdoba Andalusí Urban Escape will also take you through the city’s white-washed alleyways, its gardens and famous library, where you’ll be amazed by the scientific and medical advances of the era.

Both resources combine education with entertainment to appeal to a younger audience, using a comic and urban escape room format, via an educational app that invites participants to discover this heritage by following a series of clues and riddles whilst visiting the city.

As with the comic and urban escape game on Andalusian Madrid, launched in late 2024, the aim is to highlight the rich and diverse cultural and historical heritage of the cities of Madrid and Córdoba, and in particular their Andalusian legacy, with its characters and stories, in a way that builds bridges with the reality that surrounds us today as a foundation for constructing a plural and shared identity.

Fostering curiosity about cultural diversity is the first step in a joint process of creating, through empathy, a richer, more inclusive and cohesive society.

These resources are provided to teachers in the formal education system and trainers in non-formal education to explore the Al-Andalus period as a central element of Spanish history and knowledge in Europe and the Mediterranean.  

Workshops for primary and secondary school pupils

Using these resources, Casa Árabe, in collaboration with the Al Fanar Foundation, organises on-demand workshops for teachers and pupils centred on comics (primary or secondary) and the Urban Escape (secondary).  

They include teaching materials for use in the classroom with primary and secondary school pupils, both before and after the workshop, to explore the topics you wish to cover in greater depth across different subject areas (mathematics, science, history, language, social studies). 

If you are a teacher or trainer, sign up with your pupils. Tell us your requirements (pupils, levels, time slots) via this link and we will put together a proposal for you. The first 10 secondary schools to register will be offered free codes for the game.  

About the “Mediterranean Comics” series

This comic marks the start of the adventure series featuring Sira, its perceptive and intelligent protagonist, and forms part of the “Mediterranean Comics” collection, aimed at primary and secondary school pupils. It introduces, in a fun and informative way, some of the distinctive features of the Mediterranean region during the Al-Andalus period. The project, coordinated by the Al Fanar Foundation for Arab Knowledge, is supported by Casa Árabe and involves the collaboration of Casa Mediterráneo, the University of Murcia (UMU) and the SM-UV Foundation Chair in Comic Studies.  

The comic’s illustrations are by Juan Álvarez, the colouring by Jorge G., and the script by Pedro Rojo, president of the Al Fanar Foundation. Pilar Garrido, lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Murcia, has been responsible for the academic coordination of the series. This issue also benefits from the scientific advice of Laura Cabrera, tour guide; Hamdi T. Abu-El-Samen, tour guide; and Javier Rosón, coordinator of Casa Árabe in Córdoba.  

The Urban Escape on Al-Andalus in Córdoba has been developed as part of the European ECO (Evaluating Campaigns against Hate) project, run by the University of Murcia (UMU) in collaboration with the University of Salamanca, the Al Fanar Foundation for Arab Knowledge and Creando Huellas, led by Pilar Garrido.  

Available downloads

Read on Issu: Sira and the Ministry of Knowledge – A comic set in Córdoba

Other comics from the “Mediterranean Comics” collection:  
“Sira and the Water Journeys”, set in Madrid (Issu).
‘Sira and the Lupine Moraberies’, set in Murcia (PDF / Issu).
‘Sira and the Magic Food’, set in Málaga (PDF / Issu).