The upcoming date of March 24, 2018 is the 1,200th anniversary of what was known as the “Arrabal Incident,” an armed uprising by the population living in the “arrabal” (or suburb) known as Saqunda against Emir Al-Hakam I, jeopardizing the continuity of the Umayyad emirs rule over Al-Andalus. The repression by the emir after these events was so brutal that it led to the complete disappearance of the neighborhood, and many of the most notable personages in Qurtuba fled.
 
However, chroniclers such as Ibn Hazm also recorded various examples of Al-Hakam I’s magnanimity and indulgence, the most notable of which included the story of Talut, an important “faqih” who managed to flee from the killing. Fearing for his life, he managed to find refuge in the home of Efraim, a resident of Jewish origin whom he trusted. Efraim gave him shelter in his house for an entire year.

It is a story of friendship, betrayal and reconciliation, shown with an entertaining touch, but without setting aside historical fact, as is always the case with the performances put on by SextoMario. This performance will be held in a privileged setting, the Casa Mudéjar (Casa Árabe’s current headquarters), an original building from the fourteenth century that includes five different houses linked together by galleries, a passageway and stairwells, with four courtyards and a watchtower.

Come enjoy this dramatized performance with us. It will take us all back to Qurtuba in the year 819, one of the most turbulent and interesting periods in the history of this emirate in Al-Andalus!