Agriculture was one of the pillars of development in Muslim culture and a key to promoting welfare in the West.

We call this a green revolution because, despite the methods of cultivating the land which the Romans put in practice during their empire, it was the Arabs who undoubtedly perfected many of the farming techniques unknown up to that time.

The increase in and introduction of new plant species was accompanied by the development of irrigation systems. In much the same way, the collection of underground and surface water was perfected, making seasonal harvests possible, while the diversification of crops finally transformed extensive farming into intensive agriculture.

All of these issues will be analyzed in depth by the speakers, who have a great deal of experience and knowledge on this subject.

Francisco Gamero Gutiérrez, better known as “Pancho” in Córdoba, is a PhD in Agricultural Engineering who specializes in spring waters, known in the capital as “veneros.” Pancho has authored a cartographic map of the locations of over one hundred springs, as well as mapping out their distribution via different channels leading to the city of Cordoba, work which was given form in his thesis under the title: “Cartography, morphology and structure of the old water supply ducts to the city of Cordoba (Central Sierra Morena, Spain)” (2019).

Luis Celorio is the director of the Casa del Agua (“House of Water”) Museum. He studied Fine Arts in Madrid and collaborated with different magazines in Madrid as an illustrator. When he moved to Cordoba in 1978, he began a very intense period of work as a graphic designer, collaborating mainly with the Municipal Government of Cordoba in the fields of culture, heritage, urban planning and tourism. In 1989, he represented Cordoba at the exhibition put on by the Autonomous Regional Government of Andalusia, titled “Ten Years of Design in Andalusia.” He directed the graphic dossier to apply to UNESCO for the declaration of the historic center of Cordoba as a World Heritage Site, which was granted in 1998. In 1997, he left his job as a graphic designer and joined management departments at different communication agencies in the city. In 2000, he directed the Crafts Center of the Autonomous Regional Government of Andalusia, located in the historic city center of Cordoba. He has also put on more than 35 solo exhibitions to display his painting, sculpture and jewelry designs, and he has taken part in around 42 group exhibitions, including two sculptural works located on the right bank of the river, across from the Mosque. His facet as a student of History and Anthropology, coupled with his passion for collecting ethnographic pieces, led him to set up an ethnographic museum known as La Casa del Agua (“The House of Water”)..