Official opening of the XVIII Conference on Islamic Culture of Almonaster, Huelva

The president of the Provincial Council of Huelva, Ignacio Caraballo, has been present at the inauguration of the XVIII Islamic Conference of Almonaster la Real.
During the event, he highlighted the example of Almonaster as a municipality that promotes the encounter between cultures in the year in which the #525Anniversary of the Encounter between Two Worlds is celebrated.
In addition, he has valued the cultural heritage of the province as an engine of tourism development.
The presentation was chaired by the President of the Provincial Council of Huelva, Ignacio Caraballo and the Minister of Environment and Territorial Planning José Fiscal López, together with the Mayor of Almonaster, Jacinto Vazquez, HE Ibu Yuli Mpuni, Ambassador of Indonesia in Spain and the representatives of the Mosque Foundation of Seville and the Islamic Community in Spain. Ibrahim Hernández and Jalid Nieto.
Almonaster la Real has inaugurated this afternoon its XVIII Conference on Islamic Culture to revive in its streets, once again, the charm and splendour of Al-Andalus.
Residents and visitors will be able to enjoy this appointment with the past and history, which has an extensive program of academic, cultural and recreational activities for the enjoyment of all audiences.
This year, one of the main novelties is the presence of Indonesia as a guest country.
From today and throughout the weekend the municipality will be immersed in an authentic journey to the past through the streets of Almonaster, with its 10th-century Mosque as the nerve center of everything that will be experienced for three days full of magic.
As usual, music, street entertainment and gastronomy are some of the main attractions of this event, in which a good atmosphere is guaranteed.
The mayor of Almonaster la Real, Jacinto Vázquez, has pointed out that “one of the objectives of these days is to promote peace and dialogue between cultures at a time when coexistence is more necessary than ever”.
In addition, he highlighted “the presence of the Islamic Community in Spain at the conference and its prominent role in the development of all the activities that will be carried out”.
This afternoon the opening of the exhibitions, the culture market, the souk and the Moorish quarter took place.
About a hundred craft and gastronomy stalls make up this space that runs through the most central streets of the town.
The magic of Al-Andalus is present in this unique environment, attracting the attention of people from all over Huelva and Andalusia who seek to soak up the aromas, flavours and richness of this culture.
This was followed by the institutional inauguration of the Conference in the Mosque, where, as is traditional, the tea ceremony was held and attendees were offered a tasting of Andalusian canapés.
From this moment on, there will be parades, juggling shows, camel rides, theater, music and dance every day.
A programme that will be enriched with ceremonies such as the Maghrib Prayer or the Islamic Evening in the Mosque.
As Jacinto Vázquez explained, “what we intend is to promote a greater knowledge of Islamic culture and the rich heritage legacy that it has left in Almonaster”. On Saturday morning the inauguration of the thirteenth edition of the International Symposium will take place, which, on this occasion, will revolve around ‘Ibn Arabi and his time’.
The doctor of the University of Seville, Fátima Roldán, will be in charge of directing the conferences, colloquiums and round tables that will focus on the figure of this Sufi mystic, thinker and poet considered one of the greatest spiritual teachers in history on the eighth centenary of his death.
In addition, on the same Saturday the concert ‘Mediterranean Women’ stands out, which will take place at noon in the Jaima del Arrabal, and the flamenco-Arabic fusion performance of the Chekara Orchestra at 10:00 p.m.
The participation of Indonesia as a guest country is one of the great novelties of this edition.
Their presence responds to the objective of offering a more open vision of Islamic culture, which tends to be represented exclusively as an Arab culture, ignoring its influence in other parts of the world such as Southeast Asia.
Both on Saturday and Sunday in the morning and afternoon, visitors will be able to enjoy a traditional Indonesian dance show by Greget Persik in the Plaza de la Constitución.
The mayor has invited all people to visit Almonaster la Real, “a town without borders that celebrates a great festival based on tolerance and interculturality to bring us a little closer and without prejudice to the culture of Islam”.
Almonaster City Council.