Presentation

Andalusi botany constitutes a bridge between cultures. It brought together knowledge from the Greco-Roman and Indo-Persian worlds, and, upon its arrival in the Iberian Peninsula, this knowledge was later transmitted to the rest of Europe. Through disciplines such as botany and archaeology, as well as the study of manuscripts by Andalusi agronomists and several plant-species recovery projects, researchers have gathered valuable information about the plants that shaped the Andalusi landscape. These included both species introduced from other regions, particularly Africa and Asia, through the communication networks of the Islamic Mediterranean, and native species, whose cultivation, uses and applications were carefully documented. Many of these plants still survive in our ecosystems today, bearing witness to the continuity of agricultural practices inherited from al-Andalus.

The Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI), through its international cooperation platform Med-O-Med and in collaboration with a range of partner institutions, has developed a series of Andalusi botanical trails that enable visitors to identify the plant species that flourished in al-Andalus and discover their many uses. These included applications in food production, the manufacture of everyday objects, textile production, natural dyes, medicine, pharmacology, personal hygiene and spiritual practices. Equally significant were gardens as representations of Paradise, water as a symbol of life and purity, and plants as expressions of diversity and knowledge.

At the same time, these trails offer insight into the management of natural resources and the agricultural techniques introduced by Andalusi agronomists, which transformed production systems, food culture and society itself. They also highlight the profound relationship between nature and Islam, founded on the understanding that the natural world reflects the order and harmony of Creation. Throughout history, Islamic societies cultivated a deep appreciation for the care, study and sustainable use of the natural environment.

In this respect, the trails also encourage reflection on the contemporary management of landscapes and natural resources, as well as on the need to adopt more sustainable and environmentally responsible models in response to the current ecosocial crisis.

Through these geolocated Andalusi botanical, available for consultation on this website and accessible to visitors at the institutions that host them, it is possible to discover and experience first-hand the medieval Iberian landscape, the knowledge associated with its plant species, their cultivation and uses, and, ultimately, a rich cultural heritage inherited from the botany and agriculture of al-Andalus.