Brochure: Casa Árabe's Headquarters in Madrid
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Transcript of Brochure: Casa Árabe's Headquarters in Madrid
+34 91 563 30 66
www.casaarabe.es
C/ Alcalá, 62 · 28009 Madrid
Casa Árabe es un ConsorCio formado por:
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Casa Árabe
Casa Árabe es un consorcio constituido
por el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y
de Cooperación y la Agencia Española
de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo,
la Junta de Andalucía, la Comunidad de Madrid
y los Ayuntamientos de Madrid y de Córdoba.
Está regido por un Consejo Rector y una Direc-
ción General. Su Alto Patronato está presidido
por Sus Majestades los Reyes de España.
Los principales objetivos de Casa Árabe, con
sedes en Madrid y Córdoba, son reforzar las
relaciones políticas bilaterales y multilaterales,
fomentar y acompañar las relaciones econó-
micas, culturales y educativas, así como la
formación y el conocimiento sobre el mundo
árabe y musulmán. En definitiva, Casa Árabe
quiere ser un espacio de conocimiento mutuo y
de reflexión compartida: un punto de encuentro.
El logo de Casa Árabe, que para algunos
evoca la c de “casa”, es también una estiliza-
ción de la letra árabe ayn, inicial de la palabra
arabi, “árabe”.
La sede de Madrid
Ubicadas en el número 62 de la calle
Alcalá, las Escuelas Aguirre surgieron
como iniciativa del filántropo don Lucas
Aguirre y Juárez, con cuyo legado fueron
creadas en 1881. Es un espléndido ejemplo del
estilo neomudéjar que inspiró varios edificios
singulares del Madrid de finales del siglo XIX.
En marzo de 2008, el Ayuntamiento de Madrid,
tras un excelente trabajo de remodelación
moderna de sus espacios interiores, cedió a
Casa Árabe el edificio, que es desde entonces
la sede de la institución en Madrid.
serviCios y Web
Mediateca. es un centro multime-
dia especializado en cine y cultura
contemporánea, así como recursos
sobre política y sociedad del mundo árabe. De
acceso público, cuenta con un fondo biblio-
gráfico de referencia, así como fonoteca y
videoteca.
Centro de Lengua Árabe. Dedicado a la
enseñanza del árabe moderno estándar (fusha)
y árabe dialectal. Desde el Centro se organizan
también seminarios y estudios sobre la didácti-
ca de la lengua.
Librería Balqís. Librería especializada que
cuenta con una nutrida selección de todos los
títulos vivos editados en España relacionados
con el mundo árabe e islámico.
Restaurante “Shukran”. Ubicado en la
planta semisótano del edificio, cuenta con una
sala principal y una terraza climatizada. Ofrece
una amplia selección de platos libaneses y
mediterráneos.
Auditorio y sala de cine. Con capacidad
para 150 personas, es un espacio de doble
uso como sala de conferencias y de cine.
Salas de exposiciones. Espacios destinados
a acoger exposiciones e instalaciones artísticas.
Sala polivalente. Es un espacio multiusos para
debates, foros y exposiciones de pequeña
dimensión.
Jardín. La sede cuenta con un espacioso
jardín donde se organizan cine y actividades
musicales y escénicas al aire libre.
Alquiler de salas. Los distintos espacios de
Casa Árabe pueden alquilarse para celebrar
reuniones, seminarios, eventos culturales, etc.
Pagina web. www.casaarabe.es
El portal de Casa Árabe ofrece información
detallada de todas las actividades que organiza
y convoca la institución. Es además el enclave
de varios centros de recursos online sobre
economía y negocios, lengua árabe, cultura
contemporánea y actualidad socio-política en
los países árabes.1. Sala de expoSicioneS2. auditorio3. Mediateca4. Sala de eMbajadoreS
Casa Árabe
Casa Árabe is a consortium formed
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Cooperation and the Spanish Agency
for International Development, the autonomous
communities of Madrid and Andalusia and the
town councils of Madrid and Cordoba. It is run
by a Governing Board and a General Director-
ship. Its High Board of Trustees is presided over
by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.
The main goals of Casa Árabe, with headquar-
ters in Madrid and Cordoba, are to strengthen
bilateral and multilateral policies, to promote
economical, cultural and educational relations,
as well as supporting the development of train-
ing and knowledge on the Arab and Muslim
world. In short, Casa Árabe aims to be a space
for mutual knowledge and shared reflections: a
meeting point.
The logo of Casa Árabe, which evokes the c
of “casa-home” is also a stylized version of the Ara-
bic letter ayn, the initial of the word arabi, “Arab”.
Headquarters in Madrid
Situated at number 62 Alcalá Street,
the Aguirre Schools arose from the
initiative of the philanthropist Lucas
Aguirre y Juárez, whose legacy enabled the
schools to be built in 1881. This incredible
example of neo-Mudéjar architecture inspired
several other buildings in Madrid in the late
19th century. Madrid City Hall handed over the
Aguirre Schools to Casa Árabe in March 2008,
after the building insides had been completely
renovated. Since then it has been the institu-
tion’s headquarters in Madrid.
serviCes and Web
Media Library. It is a multimedia
centre specialised in contemporary
Arab cinema and culture, as well as
in resources related to the Arab world’s politics
and society. Open to the public, it has a biblio-
graphic collection of reference works, in addition
to sound and video archives.
Arabic Language Centre. It teaches modern
standard Arabic (fusha) and Arabic dialects.
The centre organises also workshops and study
sessions on Arabic didactics.
Balqís Bookshop. It is a specialised book-
shop which has a large collection of titles cur-
rently being edited in Spain and related through
different topics to the Arab and the Islamic world.
“Shukran” Restaurant. In the semi-basement
of the building, it has an interior area and a ter-
race. It offers a wide selection of Lebanese and
Mediterranean dishes.
Auditorium and Cinema hall. With space
availability for 150 people, it is a double-use
venue, which serves both as a conference
room and as a cinema.
Exhibition rooms. Venue used to host exhibi-
tions and artistic performances.
Multiple-use assembly hall. It is a multiple-
use space where debates, forums or small
exhibitions can be hosted.
Garden. There is a spacious garden where
open air cinema as well as musical and artistic
activities take place.
Premises to be hired. The different spaces
within Casa Árabe can be hired to organize
meetings, workshops, cultural events and so on.
Website. www.casaarabe.es
Casa Árabe’s website offers detailed informa-
tion on the whole range of activities which are
organized and announced by the institution. It
is also a reference site of different resources
available online, on economics and business,
on Arabic language and on Arab countries’
contemporary culture and socio-political latest
news.
+34 91 563 30 66
www.casaarabe.es
C/ Alcalá, 62 · 28009 Madrid
Casa Árabe is a ConsortiuM CoMprising:
Dep
ósi
to L
egal
M-4
0460
-201
2
parque deL retiro
o’donneLLaLCaLÁ
ve
LÁz
qu
ez
Ca
ste
LLó
nú
ñe
z d
e b
aLb
oa
Madrid
1. Exhibition room2. Auditorium3. mEdiA LibrAry4. AmbAssAdor’s room
1 2 3 4
Casa Árabe
Casa Árabe is a consortium formed
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Cooperation and the Spanish Agency
for International Development, the autonomous
communities of Madrid and Andalusia and the
town councils of Madrid and Cordoba. It is run
by a Governing Board and a General Director-
ship. Its High Board of Trustees is presided over
by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.
The main goals of Casa Árabe, with headquar-
ters in Madrid and Cordoba, are to strengthen
bilateral and multilateral policies, to promote
economical, cultural and educational relations,
as well as supporting the development of train-
ing and knowledge on the Arab and Muslim
world. In short, Casa Árabe aims to be a space
for mutual knowledge and shared reflections: a
meeting point.
The logo of Casa Árabe, which evokes the c
of “casa-home” is also a stylized version of the Ara-
bic letter ayn, the initial of the word arabi, “Arab”.
Headquarters in Madrid
Situated at number 62 Alcalá Street,
the Aguirre Schools arose from the
initiative of the philanthropist Lucas
Aguirre y Juárez, whose legacy enabled the
schools to be built in 1881. This incredible
example of neo-Mudéjar architecture inspired
several other buildings in Madrid in the late
19th century. Madrid City Hall handed over the
Aguirre Schools to Casa Árabe in March 2008,
after the building insides had been completely
renovated. Since then it has been the institu-
tion’s headquarters in Madrid.
serviCes and Web
Media Library. It is a multimedia
centre specialised in contemporary
Arab cinema and culture, as well as
in resources related to the Arab world’s politics
and society. Open to the public, it has a biblio-
graphic collection of reference works, in addition
to sound and video archives.
Arabic Language Centre. It teaches modern
standard Arabic (fusha) and Arabic dialects.
The centre organises also workshops and study
sessions on Arabic didactics.
Balqís Bookshop. It is a specialised book-
shop which has a large collection of titles cur-
rently being edited in Spain and related through
different topics to the Arab and the Islamic world.
“Shukran” Restaurant. In the semi-basement
of the building, it has an interior area and a ter-
race. It offers a wide selection of Lebanese and
Mediterranean dishes.
Auditorium and Cinema hall. With space
availability for 150 people, it is a double-use
venue, which serves both as a conference
room and as a cinema.
Exhibition rooms. Venue used to host exhibi-
tions and artistic performances.
Multiple-use assembly hall. It is a multiple-
use space where debates, forums or small
exhibitions can be hosted.
Garden. There is a spacious garden where
open air cinema as well as musical and artistic
activities take place.
Premises to be hired. The different spaces
within Casa Árabe can be hired to organize
meetings, workshops, cultural events and so on.
Website. www.casaarabe.es
Casa Árabe’s website offers detailed informa-
tion on the whole range of activities which are
organized and announced by the institution. It
is also a reference site of different resources
available online, on economics and business,
on Arabic language and on Arab countries’
contemporary culture and socio-political latest
news.
+34 91 563 30 66
www.casaarabe.es
C/ Alcalá, 62 · 28009 Madrid
Casa Árabe is a ConsortiuM CoMprising:
Dep
ósi
to L
egal
M-4
0460
-201
2
parque deL retiro
o’donneLLaLCaLÁ
ve
LÁz
qu
ez
Ca
ste
LLó
nú
ñe
z d
e b
aLb
oa
Madrid
1. Exhibition room2. Auditorium3. mEdiA LibrAry4. AmbAssAdor’s room
1 2 3 4
The Aguirre SchoolS Building
Casa Árabe’s headquarters in Madrid
is located on the building which was
known as former Aguirre Schools
building, an emblematic piece of work built up in
1881 out of the initiative of Lucas Aguirre y Juárez
(1800-1873). When he died, he bequeathed a
part of his personal fortune to support educa-
tional centres.
This beautiful neo-Mudéjar style building
was designed by the well-known architect
Emilio Rodríguez Ayuso (1845-1891), who is
considered to be the first driving force of this
style. Rodríguez Ayuso is the author of, among
other buildings, the impressive and already
vanished Palace of the Duke of Anglada, built in
1878 and located at the Paseo de la Castellana
(Madrid), and one of the architects of the old
bullring of Madrid, built in 1874 (and the one
that inspired the current Plaza de Las Ventas),
as well as the Child Jesus Hospital.
At the end of the 19th Century, Spain was the
scenery of an important trend favouring the res-
toration and the spread of the Hispanic-Muslim
Art, due to the political and the colonial aspira-
tions, and supported by a society marked by the
romantic Orientalism. New styles emerged then,
known as neo-Muslim, neo-Arab, neo-Mudéjar
or Alhambrism, and they transformed the Orient
aesthetics into a national identity element. At the
same time, population outgrew extraordinarily
the city of Madrid and it requested an urgent
urban development, adopting therefore brick as
its basic material.
Construction of the Aguirre Schools, cata-
logued as a protected monument, began on
1881, in some pieces of land that the city coun-
cil of Madrid handed over for that purpose. They
were inaugurated on October 18th 1886. It was
a building on its own, with just a rectangular
ground floor with three spans, a two-floor body
plus a semi-basement and a tower-viewpoint,
with brick façades (brownish on the main build-
ing and reddish over the lodges) and quality
limestone, with a studied composition and a
noteworthy decoration. Three years after it was
inaugurated, the same architect was commis-
sioned to create the ornamental railings, the
garden and the two external pavilions.
Although the building has undergone several
alterations and restorations, it is still one of the
most relevant examples of the neo-Mudéjar
style in Madrid. In its design both of the immu-
table principles of this style are present: the use
of brick as the main construction material and
decoration based on farthingale designs on the
wall, with motives such as ribbons, rhombus,
saw teeth and so on.
It is one of the most visible chamfered street
corners, in the famous Salamanca neighbour-
hood, just by the Retiro Park and close to the
Puerta de Alcalá. Combining brick and reinter-
preting past languages with technical skills and
artistic talent made Rodríguez Ayuso one of
the great artists who spread this new style. The
Aguirre Schools building became an excellent
example of the ornamentals and decorative
solutions which marked the Madrilian housing
projects related to the neo-Mudéjar style, quite
popular on those late decades of the 19th century.
In 1911, the Aguirre Schools building was
managed directly from the City Council of
Madrid. Since then, it has undergone several
improvements designed by professionals such
as Bellido, Flórez or Giner de los Ríos. Around
1971 it closed as a teaching centre and offices
of the City Council of Madrid were settled there.
Between 1998 and 1999 new reforms were
made to host the Local Training School. From
2006 on, it is Casa Árabe’s headquarters and
after the renovations related to its adaptation to
the new use, inside the building there are two
floors and a semi-basement, keeping the tower
as it originally was, with its three brick bodies
with oculus and clocks and a metallic glassed-in
attic. The 37 meter-high tower represents today
a singular element within Madrid’s urban image.
1 2
3 4 5 6
1. GAtE2. Front 3. bAck-Front
4. towEr’s windows 5. rooF6. EnGrAvinG oF 1929
The Aguirre SchoolS Building
Casa Árabe’s headquarters in Madrid
is located on the building which was
known as former Aguirre Schools
building, an emblematic piece of work built up in
1881 out of the initiative of Lucas Aguirre y Juárez
(1800-1873). When he died, he bequeathed a
part of his personal fortune to support educa-
tional centres.
This beautiful neo-Mudéjar style building
was designed by the well-known architect
Emilio Rodríguez Ayuso (1845-1891), who is
considered to be the first driving force of this
style. Rodríguez Ayuso is the author of, among
other buildings, the impressive and already
vanished Palace of the Duke of Anglada, built in
1878 and located at the Paseo de la Castellana
(Madrid), and one of the architects of the old
bullring of Madrid, built in 1874 (and the one
that inspired the current Plaza de Las Ventas),
as well as the Child Jesus Hospital.
At the end of the 19th Century, Spain was the
scenery of an important trend favouring the res-
toration and the spread of the Hispanic-Muslim
Art, due to the political and the colonial aspira-
tions, and supported by a society marked by the
romantic Orientalism. New styles emerged then,
known as neo-Muslim, neo-Arab, neo-Mudéjar
or Alhambrism, and they transformed the Orient
aesthetics into a national identity element. At the
same time, population outgrew extraordinarily
the city of Madrid and it requested an urgent
urban development, adopting therefore brick as
its basic material.
Construction of the Aguirre Schools, cata-
logued as a protected monument, began on
1881, in some pieces of land that the city coun-
cil of Madrid handed over for that purpose. They
were inaugurated on October 18th 1886. It was
a building on its own, with just a rectangular
ground floor with three spans, a two-floor body
plus a semi-basement and a tower-viewpoint,
with brick façades (brownish on the main build-
ing and reddish over the lodges) and quality
limestone, with a studied composition and a
noteworthy decoration. Three years after it was
inaugurated, the same architect was commis-
sioned to create the ornamental railings, the
garden and the two external pavilions.
Although the building has undergone several
alterations and restorations, it is still one of the
most relevant examples of the neo-Mudéjar
style in Madrid. In its design both of the immu-
table principles of this style are present: the use
of brick as the main construction material and
decoration based on farthingale designs on the
wall, with motives such as ribbons, rhombus,
saw teeth and so on.
It is one of the most visible chamfered street
corners, in the famous Salamanca neighbour-
hood, just by the Retiro Park and close to the
Puerta de Alcalá. Combining brick and reinter-
preting past languages with technical skills and
artistic talent made Rodríguez Ayuso one of
the great artists who spread this new style. The
Aguirre Schools building became an excellent
example of the ornamentals and decorative
solutions which marked the Madrilian housing
projects related to the neo-Mudéjar style, quite
popular on those late decades of the 19th century.
In 1911, the Aguirre Schools building was
managed directly from the City Council of
Madrid. Since then, it has undergone several
improvements designed by professionals such
as Bellido, Flórez or Giner de los Ríos. Around
1971 it closed as a teaching centre and offices
of the City Council of Madrid were settled there.
Between 1998 and 1999 new reforms were
made to host the Local Training School. From
2006 on, it is Casa Árabe’s headquarters and
after the renovations related to its adaptation to
the new use, inside the building there are two
floors and a semi-basement, keeping the tower
as it originally was, with its three brick bodies
with oculus and clocks and a metallic glassed-in
attic. The 37 meter-high tower represents today
a singular element within Madrid’s urban image.
1 2
3 4 5 6
1. GAtE2. Front 3. bAck-Front
4. towEr’s windows 5. rooF6. EnGrAvinG oF 1929
The Aguirre SchoolS Building
Casa Árabe’s headquarters in Madrid
is located on the building which was
known as former Aguirre Schools
building, an emblematic piece of work built up in
1881 out of the initiative of Lucas Aguirre y Juárez
(1800-1873). When he died, he bequeathed a
part of his personal fortune to support educa-
tional centres.
This beautiful neo-Mudéjar style building
was designed by the well-known architect
Emilio Rodríguez Ayuso (1845-1891), who is
considered to be the first driving force of this
style. Rodríguez Ayuso is the author of, among
other buildings, the impressive and already
vanished Palace of the Duke of Anglada, built in
1878 and located at the Paseo de la Castellana
(Madrid), and one of the architects of the old
bullring of Madrid, built in 1874 (and the one
that inspired the current Plaza de Las Ventas),
as well as the Child Jesus Hospital.
At the end of the 19th Century, Spain was the
scenery of an important trend favouring the res-
toration and the spread of the Hispanic-Muslim
Art, due to the political and the colonial aspira-
tions, and supported by a society marked by the
romantic Orientalism. New styles emerged then,
known as neo-Muslim, neo-Arab, neo-Mudéjar
or Alhambrism, and they transformed the Orient
aesthetics into a national identity element. At the
same time, population outgrew extraordinarily
the city of Madrid and it requested an urgent
urban development, adopting therefore brick as
its basic material.
Construction of the Aguirre Schools, cata-
logued as a protected monument, began on
1881, in some pieces of land that the city coun-
cil of Madrid handed over for that purpose. They
were inaugurated on October 18th 1886. It was
a building on its own, with just a rectangular
ground floor with three spans, a two-floor body
plus a semi-basement and a tower-viewpoint,
with brick façades (brownish on the main build-
ing and reddish over the lodges) and quality
limestone, with a studied composition and a
noteworthy decoration. Three years after it was
inaugurated, the same architect was commis-
sioned to create the ornamental railings, the
garden and the two external pavilions.
Although the building has undergone several
alterations and restorations, it is still one of the
most relevant examples of the neo-Mudéjar
style in Madrid. In its design both of the immu-
table principles of this style are present: the use
of brick as the main construction material and
decoration based on farthingale designs on the
wall, with motives such as ribbons, rhombus,
saw teeth and so on.
It is one of the most visible chamfered street
corners, in the famous Salamanca neighbour-
hood, just by the Retiro Park and close to the
Puerta de Alcalá. Combining brick and reinter-
preting past languages with technical skills and
artistic talent made Rodríguez Ayuso one of
the great artists who spread this new style. The
Aguirre Schools building became an excellent
example of the ornamentals and decorative
solutions which marked the Madrilian housing
projects related to the neo-Mudéjar style, quite
popular on those late decades of the 19th century.
In 1911, the Aguirre Schools building was
managed directly from the City Council of
Madrid. Since then, it has undergone several
improvements designed by professionals such
as Bellido, Flórez or Giner de los Ríos. Around
1971 it closed as a teaching centre and offices
of the City Council of Madrid were settled there.
Between 1998 and 1999 new reforms were
made to host the Local Training School. From
2006 on, it is Casa Árabe’s headquarters and
after the renovations related to its adaptation to
the new use, inside the building there are two
floors and a semi-basement, keeping the tower
as it originally was, with its three brick bodies
with oculus and clocks and a metallic glassed-in
attic. The 37 meter-high tower represents today
a singular element within Madrid’s urban image.
1 2
3 4 5 6
1. GAtE2. Front 3. bAck-Front
4. towEr’s windows 5. rooF6. EnGrAvinG oF 1929
Las EsCueLas Aguirre
La sede de Casa Árabe en Madrid está
ubicada en el edificio de las antiguas
Escuelas Aguirre, una emblemática obra
construida en 1881 por iniciativa del filántropo
Lucas Aguirre y Juárez (1800-1873), quien a su
muerte legó parte de su fortuna para el sosteni-
miento de centros educativos.
Se trata de un bello edificio de estilo
neomudéjar diseñado por el insigne arqui-
tecto Emilio Rodríguez Ayuso (1845-1891).
Considerado como el primer impulsor de este
estilo, Rodríguez Ayuso fue autor, entre otras
obras, del impresionante y ya desaparecido
Palacio del Duque de Anglada, construido en
1878 y ubicado en el Paseo de la Castellana
de Madrid, además de coautor de la antigua
Plaza de Toros de Madrid, construida en 1874
(e inspiradora de la actual Plaza de Las Ventas),
así como del Hospital del Niño Jesús.
En la España de finales del siglo XIX, tanto la
política, con sus aspiraciones coloniales, como
la sociedad, permeada por el orientalismo
romántico, favorecieron la valoración, recupe-
ración y difusión del arte hispano-musulmán y
los estilos que emergieron de este momento,
conocidos como neomusulmán, neoárabe,
noemudéjar o alhambrismo, transformaron la
estética oriental en un elemento propio de la
identidad nacional. Al mismo tiempo, en Madrid
se produjo un extraordinario aumento demográ-
fico que determinó el crecimiento urbano de
la ciudad y, en esta urgencia constructiva, se
adoptó el uso del ladrillo como material básico.
La construcción de las Escuelas Aguirre, ca-
talogadas como monumento protegido, comen-
zó en el año 1881 en unos terrenos cedidos por
el Ayuntamiento de Madrid, siendo inauguradas
el 18 de octubre de 1886. Es un edificio exento
de planta baja rectangular de tres crujías,
cuerpo de dos plantas más semisótano y torre-
mirador que presenta fachadas de ladrillo visto
(de color pardo en el edifico principal y rojo en
las porterías) y piedra caliza de notable calidad
constructiva, cuidada composición y signifi-
cativa decoración. Tres años después de su
inauguración, el mismo arquitecto se encargó
de realizar la notable verja de hierro fundido, el
jardín y los dos pabellones exteriores.
A pesar de las diversas modificaciones y
ampliaciones que sufrió a lo largo de los años,
este edificio constituye una de las muestras
más representativa del estilo neomudéjar en
Madrid, ya que en su diseño destacan los dos
principios inmutables sobre los que se desarro-
lla este estilo: el uso del ladrillo como material
principal de la construcción y la decoración a
base del juego de verdugadas en la pared con
motivos de lazos, rombos, dientes de sierra,
etcétera.
En uno de los chaflanes más visibles de la
ciudad, en el renombrado barrio de Salamanca,
junto al Parque del Retiro y la Puerta de Alcalá,
la habilidad técnica y el talento artístico para
reinterpretar los lenguajes del pasado y com-
binarlos con el ladrillo convirtieron a Rodríguez
Ayuso en el gran difusor de este nuevo estilo y
a las Escuelas Aguirre en un excelente ejemplo
de las soluciones ornamentales y decorativas
de la arquitectura residencial madrileña de
filiación neomudéjar, que gozó de una gran
pujanza en las últimas décadas del siglo XIX.
En 1911 el edificio de la Escuelas Aguirre
pasa a depender directamente del Ayunta-
miento de Madrid. Desde entonces se somete
a diversas reformas dirigidas por profesionales
como Bellido, Flórez o Giner de los Ríos. Hacia
1971 cierra como centro escolar, pasando a
ocuparse con oficinas del Ayuntamiento de
Madrid y, entre 1998 y 1999, se acomete una
nueva reforma para albergar la Escuela Muni-
cipal de Formación. Desde 2006 es la sede de
Casa Árabe y, tras la reforma acometida para
adecuarla a este uso, el interior del edificio
cuenta con dos plantas y un semisótano, man-
teniéndose la torre tal y como era originalmente,
con sus tres cuerpos de ladrillo con óculos y
relojes y con un ático metálico acristalado. Esta
torre, de 37 metros de altura, destaca hoy en
día como un elemento singular en la imagen
urbana de Madrid.
1. Verja2. Fachada3. Fachada traSera
4. VentanaS de la torre5. tejado6. Grabado de 1929
1 2
3 4 5 6
Casa Árabe
Casa Árabe is a consortium formed
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Cooperation and the Spanish Agency
for International Development, the autonomous
communities of Madrid and Andalusia and the
town councils of Madrid and Cordoba. It is run
by a Governing Board and a General Director-
ship. Its High Board of Trustees is presided over
by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.
The main goals of Casa Árabe, with headquar-
ters in Madrid and Cordoba, are to strengthen
bilateral and multilateral policies, to promote
economical, cultural and educational relations,
as well as supporting the development of train-
ing and knowledge on the Arab and Muslim
world. In short, Casa Árabe aims to be a space
for mutual knowledge and shared reflections: a
meeting point.
The logo of Casa Árabe, which evokes the c
of “casa-home” is also a stylized version of the Ara-
bic letter ayn, the initial of the word arabi, “Arab”.
Headquarters in Madrid
Situated at number 62 Alcalá Street,
the Aguirre Schools arose from the
initiative of the philanthropist Lucas
Aguirre y Juárez, whose legacy enabled the
schools to be built in 1881. This incredible
example of neo-Mudéjar architecture inspired
several other buildings in Madrid in the late
19th century. Madrid City Hall handed over the
Aguirre Schools to Casa Árabe in March 2008,
after the building insides had been completely
renovated. Since then it has been the institu-
tion’s headquarters in Madrid.
serviCes and Web
Media Library. It is a multimedia
centre specialised in contemporary
Arab cinema and culture, as well as
in resources related to the Arab world’s politics
and society. Open to the public, it has a biblio-
graphic collection of reference works, in addition
to sound and video archives.
Arabic Language Centre. It teaches modern
standard Arabic (fusha) and Arabic dialects.
The centre organises also workshops and study
sessions on Arabic didactics.
Balqís Bookshop. It is a specialised book-
shop which has a large collection of titles cur-
rently being edited in Spain and related through
different topics to the Arab and the Islamic world.
“Shukran” Restaurant. In the semi-basement
of the building, it has an interior area and a ter-
race. It offers a wide selection of Lebanese and
Mediterranean dishes.
Auditorium and Cinema hall. With space
availability for 150 people, it is a double-use
venue, which serves both as a conference
room and as a cinema.
Exhibition rooms. Venue used to host exhibi-
tions and artistic performances.
Multiple-use assembly hall. It is a multiple-
use space where debates, forums or small
exhibitions can be hosted.
Garden. There is a spacious garden where
open air cinema as well as musical and artistic
activities take place.
Premises to be hired. The different spaces
within Casa Árabe can be hired to organize
meetings, workshops, cultural events and so on.
Website. www.casaarabe.es
Casa Árabe’s website offers detailed informa-
tion on the whole range of activities which are
organized and announced by the institution. It
is also a reference site of different resources
available online, on economics and business,
on Arabic language and on Arab countries’
contemporary culture and socio-political latest
news.
+34 91 563 30 66
www.casaarabe.es
C/ Alcalá, 62 · 28009 Madrid
Casa Árabe is a ConsortiuM CoMprising:
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1. Exhibition room2. Auditorium3. mEdiA LibrAry4. AmbAssAdor’s room
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