Summary of the XXIV Conference on Islamic Culture of Almonaster la Real, Huelva

On October 11, 12 and 13, the XXIV Conference on Islamic Culture and its 25th Anniversary were held in Almonaster la Real, proclaimed one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, located in the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche in Huelva.

This year’s event was carried out in collaboration between the City Council of Almonaster, the Municipality of Mértola, Portugal, and the Mosque Foundation of Seville, with the intention of promoting the Andalusian past of the town and its Mosque, the rich and extensive cultural and natural heritage, and facilitating the encounter between people and with Islam in a festive atmosphere. We greatly value having the Municipality of Mértola, Portugal, as a guest country this year, with whom we have a long history of collaboration in its Islamic Festival.

In this edition, both the towns of Almonaster and Mértola and our Foundation came together to celebrate 25 years of collaboration. Despite the heavy rain, which forced the cancellation of all outdoor activities, the Foundation managed to keep all its activities intact, except for the children’s workshops, and they were a great success. There were even some brave ones who braved the storm and continued to set up their stalls and sell their products.

Starting with the official Inauguration, which this year took place in the presence of the President of the Provincial Council of Huelva, David Toscano, Hayy Jalid Nieto, vice president of the Mosque Foundation of Seville and the Mayors of Almonaster and Mértola, took the opportunity to thank the event, highlight its importance and elevate the effort in the eyes of the people.

This year a special exhibition was presented where both Almonaster and Mértola collaborated to present the posters of all the previous editions and their experiences in the celebration of Islamic Festivals over the years.

After a presentation by Abdallah Hernandez about the planned Hajj on Horseback trip, the ‘Hajj on Horseback’ group in the company of friends, family and people from the community and Almonaster undertook the Hajj journey in Mecca from the old village mosque. This had not been done for hundreds of years, and it was a special moment for all attendees to see the fifth pillar of Islam being observed in this way.

Like every year, we hosted our Dhikr evening at the mosque, which was attended by locals and visitors. The evening began with the call to prayer from the mosque’s old minaret in front of the village so that everyone could hear and be invited. After the dhikr, a delicious dinner was served and all the people who attended the event were invited to sit and enjoy the meal with us.

On Sunday we closed the event after saying goodbye to the pilgrims, with the guided tour of the mosque, followed by a special talk on the 25th anniversary of the Islamic Cultural Day of Almonaster la Real. This year, Hayy Khalid and two young people from both the Mosque of Seville and Almonaster communities contributed by giving a talk about what this event means to them and why events like these are important.

Black and white images courtesy of @meidepablos.