Casa Árabe is hosting this conference, organized by the Spanish-Arabic Intercultural Circle (CIHAR), at which the director of the Royal Tapestry Factory (RFT), Alejandro Klecker de Elizalde, will be talking about the Spanish-Muslim contribution to the textile, commercial and agricultural backbone of Spain. Some of these contributions included certain dye plants, cotton and some animals, including the silkworm and Merino sheep, which were used in trade. It is a legacy which Spain, in turn, passed on to the rest of Europe.

The Royal Tapestry Factory is the oldest royal production site in continuous operation since 1721. It plays an essential role in the preservation of Spain’s textile heritage, maintaining the traditional crafts and manufacturing processes in tapestry, carpet and heraldry fabrics, for which it uses the highest quality materials. It is currently a leader in the field of textile restoration, in which the most advanced technologies are put to use. Inside its facilities, it has a textile dyeing and spinning room and a textile dyeing garden with plant species from different parts of the world, a sample of the melting pot of cultures created in Muslim Spain and the scientific expeditions which took place overseas in the the eighteenth century.

Organized by the Spanish-Arabic Intercultural Circle (CIHAR), with the cooperation of Casa Árabe and the Royal Tapestry Factory, the conference will be presented by Abdo Tounsi, president of CIHAR.

Alejandro Klecker de Elizalde
Alejandro Klecker is the Director General of the Royal Tapestry Factory and member of the Board of Trustees of the Naval Museum Foundation who collaborates with the Institute of Naval History and Culture. He is a Correspondent Member of the Academies of Naval and Maritime History of Chile and Uruguay, Correspondent Member of Chile’s Society of Geography and History, and Spain’s Royal Academies of the Sea and of Military Arts and Sciences. He is a reserve officer of the General Navy Corps, holds the Cross of Naval Merit and is an Honorary Halbardier of the Military Chamber of H.M. THE KING.

Throughout his career, he has worked as an executive at several multinationals, having been the managing director of Grupo Clarke, Modet y Cº, president of Zinc Big S. F.,president of Navalmil S. L., and director/partner of the Public Sector Area of Coopers & Lybrand Spain Consulting.

With a degree in Political Science and Administration, a PhD from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and a diploma in Security and Defense from the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, he has authored many articles related to strategy, intelligence, maritime security and naval policy. In 2021, he was decorated with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Queen Isabella the Catholic.