Organized by the Tourist Development Association of Safi and its hinterland, in collaboration with the regional and provincial directorates of Culture of Marrakech and Safi, this Andalusian caravan intends to highlight the depth of the human, historical and cultural links between the Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
This event marked by the participation of 20 descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Andalusians, as well as numerous enthusiasts of Andalusian heritage shared between the two shores of the Mediterranean, is part of the commemoration of the centenary of the visit of “Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas” in Morocco.
The historic site of Aghmat constituted the first stage of this trip, allowing participants to discover the richness of this Andalusian heritage, through a visit to the mausoleum of Abu Al-Qassim Al-Mu’tamid ‘Ala Allah Muhammad Ibn Abbad (1040-1095).
Thus, the caravan went to the “House of Al-Mu’tamid”, where works by the painter Fouzi El Basri are exhibited, retracing a page in the history of the Kingdom throughout the era of the Almoravids in Andalusia, and highlighting the key moments of Al-Mu’tamid’s life.
In a speech for the occasion, Alejandro Delmás Infante, grandson of Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas, highlighted the dimension and important cultural and civilizational significance of this memorable visit.
For his part, Manuel Neto dos Santos, pioneer of modern Portuguese poetry, graced the audience with extracts from a poem from his collection entitled “Arbonaida or Al-Kadar”, in which he evokes Al-Mu’tamid Ibn Abbad.
In a statement to MAP on this occasion, the secretary general of the organizing association, Saïd Chamssi, indicated that this caravan is intended to be a unique cultural and tourist initiative aimed at highlighting the heritage and Andalusian character of many Moroccan cities. , Portuguese and Spanish, as well as their rich cultural heritage (clothing, gastronomy, singing, music, etc.).
Regarding the tourist aspect of this caravan, Mr. Chamssi specified that the objective is to promote cultural tourism, by proposing a unique itinerary called “the circuit of Moroccan towns with an Andalusian character”, which starts from Aghmat, then Marrakech and Safi, before going to Rabat, Salé, Fez and Chefchaouen, while a visit to the cities of Tetouan and Tangier is planned for next year.
For his part, Ahmed Laakssiri Sbaï, professor of tourism engineering and associative actor, underlined, in a similar statement, that the caravan is part of the promotion of active tourism, especially since the Kingdom has many destinations with high cultural and civilizational symbolism.
2024-10-04 18:43:33