On October 19th, the Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI) held the ethnobotanical tour “Sprouts of Al-Andalus in the Emir Mohamed I Park,” an activity included in the Madrid Otra Mirada 2025 program. The initiative brought together numerous visitors eager to explore the scientific legacy of Al-Andalus through the nineteen species featured along this unique route.
During the tour, attendees learned how Andalusian botanical traditions continue to be present in our landscapes and how many of the plants we now consider common were once part of one of the most innovative agricultural periods on the Iberian Peninsula.
A park with history
The Emir Mohamed I Park is located next to the 9th-century Islamic wall, one of the oldest remnants in Madrid. Its name commemorates the Umayyad emir who founded Mayrit, the original core of the city. Although it is now an open and accessible space, the wall remained hidden for centuries behind later constructions, until 20th-century archaeological campaigns made its recovery and restoration possible.
Since 2017, FUNCI has been working at the site to develop a garden inspired by Andalusian traditions, incorporating historical plant species with explanatory panels for visitors. This framework transforms the park into a space where nature, heritage, and history intertwine, offering a more comprehensive understanding of Madrid’s past.
This route is part of one of the Foundation’s most significant initiatives, the Med-O-Med network, Cultural Landscapes of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, a cooperation platform comprising 23 countries, aimed at sustainable development in relation to natural and cultural heritage, and promoting encounter, coexistence, and peace in the region.
The botanical itinerary in the Emir Park served as the starting point for creating other routes based on the many plant species introduced or used during the Andalusian period. In May 2024, the “Andalusian Botanical Itinerary” was inaugurated at the Royal Botanical Garden, and in November of the same year, the route opened at the Museo de Santa Cruz in Toledo, where numerous activities related to the museum’s collections have also been carried out. Finally, in May 2025, the last botanical route was inaugurated at the Museo Sefardí, designed not only from an Andalusian perspective but also within the Jewish context, as reflected in the explanations accompanying each species, which describe their culinary, spiritual, and cultural uses.
Andalusian botany: A science between observation and experience
The tour devoted significant attention to Andalusian botany, a discipline that flourished between the 8th and 15th centuries, combining observation, cultivation, and the compilation of knowledge. Agronomists such as Ibn Wāfid, Ibn Baṣṣāl, al-Ṭignarī, and Ibn al-ʿAwwām wrote treatises describing plant care, acclimatization, and their multiple uses, ranging from food to medicine, cosmetics, and perfumery.
In the Emir Mohamed I Park, many of the species present share pharmacological and aromatic properties. For example, myrtle (Myrtus communis) is mentioned in nearly all Andalusian agronomic treatises. Its leaves and flowers were used in perfumery, syrups to regulate digestion and strengthen the stomach, as well as in remedies for dizziness. Myrtle oil was used to prevent hair loss, and the juice of its berries was considered an antidote for tarantula and scorpion stings. Additionally, it was planted alongside pomegranate trees because they were thought to “sympathize” with each other, according to Ibn Luyūn.
Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) was valued for both ornamental and practical purposes. It was planted around orchards to beautify them, while its branches and shavings were used to repel insects or prevent flour from spoiling. Its wood and leaves were also employed to make remedies and cosmetic products, following the medical tradition based on the four humors of Hippocrates.
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