Twentieth anniversary of “The Legacy of Al-Andalus” Routes 

Casa Árabe is cooperating to help celebrate this anniversary with a day of events titled “Preservation and Sustainability of Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Heritage,” organized on the date of October 5 at the Madinat al-Zahra Archeological Site.

This year is the twentieth anniversary celebration of the naming of The Legacy of Al-Andalus Routes as a “Council of Europe Cultural Itinerary.” The European Program of Cultural Itineraries started out in 1987 with what was known as the “Santiago de Compostela Declaration.”

The main goal of the Council of Europe Cultural Itineraries Program, the most important for cultural tourism in Europe, is to highlight the heritage of the different countries in Europe with the intention of creating a shared living culture. These European Itineraries put into practice the fundamental values of the Council of Europe: human rights, cultural democracy, cultural diversity and identity, sharing and mutual enrichment beyond borders and centuries.

At present, the Council of Europe has 32 certified Cultural Itineraries which revolve around different themes involving remembrance, history and European heritage, displaying the current diversity of Europe.

To celebrate this anniversary, the Andalusian Public Foundation “The Legacy of Al-Andalus” (“El legado andalusí”) has organized this day of events, with the participation of international specialists of acknowledged prestige in the field of cultural heritage preservation and conservation and cultural tourism in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The year of 2017 has been declared the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development” by the General Assembly of the United Nations, thereby providing a reminder of tourism’s potential for meeting the goals in Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

Event brochure