Córdoba in the Age of the Caliphs
June 2024
Immerse yourself in Europe's global Islamic past in the medieval capital of al-Andalus
A small group expert-led experience unlike any other
OVERVIEW
• On-site immersion, exploring UNESCO world heritage sites and collections that illuminate life in one of the world's most celebrated medieval cities
• Focus on the art, architecture, and archaeology of early Islamic Córdoba when it was the capital of Islamic Iberia (Arabic al-Andalus)
• Led by Glaire Anderson, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art and founding leader of the Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections, University of Edinburgh, with Dr. Rafael Blanco, University of Cordoba, a leading expert in the archaeology of Umayyad Cordoba
• Limited to a maximum of 10 participants
OUR APPROACH
This field trip is different. It's equal parts intensive art, architecture, and cultural heritage immersion, collaborative field workshop for the Digital Lab's work in games and immersive technologies, and adventurous retreat!
This is an experience for passionate, committed people who want to bridge the gap between academia and industry, to make Islamic art and civilisation accessible to all through innovative media.
We're guided by our mission and values of inclusion, collaboration, and respect, and we learn from leading experts and from one another.
OUR EXPERTS
Dr. Glaire Anderson, Field Trip Director (University of Edinburgh, DLIVCC)
Glaire Anderson is a historian of medieval Islamic architecture, art, and history with 20 years research and teaching experience focused on Córdoba and the caliphal lands. Her aim is to make medieval Islamic art and history accessible to all through video games, GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums), and education. She was one of four expert consultants for the latest instalment in Ubisoft's popular video game franchise, Assassin's Creed Mirage. Anderson is the award-winning author of The Islamic villa in early medieval Iberia (Ashage, 2013) and numerous peer-reviewed articles on Cordoba and the medieval Islamic West. Her latest book, A Bridge to the Sky: The Arts of Science in the Age of ‘Abbas Ibn Firnas, published by Oxford University Press, focuses on the famous 9th c. Cordoban ‘scientist’ and his experiment in early human flight. Dr. Anderson's work in video games and XR has been recognized with awards from The Barakat Trust, UK Economic and Social Science Research Council, Immersive Scotland, and the Edinburgh Centre for Data, Culture and Society.
Dr. Rafael Blanco (University of Córdoba)
Rafael Blanco is a specialist in Islamic archaeology and heritage, with a focus on the urban planning and architecture of Córdoba. He has led and collaborated on numerous Spanish and international projects, conferences and publications on Roman and Islamic Córdoba over the last fifteen years. He has a special interest in the use of digital technologies to connect heritage and people.
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES
Experience one of medieval Europe's most fascinating historic urban centres, learning how the city's ancient Roman, late antique, medieval Islamic, and later Christian histories are entertwined
You'll experience the Great Mosque, one of the world's most iconic works of architecture, and come away with a new appreciation for its complex history, spanning centuries of expansions and interventions, up to today.
Experience Madinat al-Zahra', the famous palace city founded in the tenth-century by the first Cordoban Umayyad caliph. You'll wander through early medieval houses, courtyards, baths, and court spaces of a medieval planned city and learn how digital technologies are being applied to the city's interpretation.
Visit remains of palaces and elite villas (Arabic munyas), in-situ and in important local museum collections, and learn about the social, artistic, and economic significance of these sites to this medieval Islamic society.
You'll come away with a new appreciation for life in the medieval Islamic west, and the complex layers of history here, which have important implications for how we understand Islamic art, civilization, and Europe and its medieval past today.
GENERAL DAILY SCHEDULE
We'll gather in the mornings to take advantage of the cooler hours for our excursions, and cap off with a group lunch.
You're free to spend your afternoons and evenings as you like. We recommend resting indoors during the hottest part of the day, and then getting out again in the cooler evening hours to experience the city.
We aim to build in flexibility for solo reflection, your own personalised wandering to experience the city, one on one chats with the Director, and socialising with your fellow participants.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- all supplemental learning materials
- time with the Director and collaborating experts, official guides, and a diverse international group of participants actively working across Digital Humanities, games, GLAM, art/architectural history, archaeology, and visual culture
- all admissions fees to sites and monuments,
- any special activities organised for the group
- group lunches with the Director, fellow participants, and members of the Digital Lab team
- Certificate of Participation
- all taxes, organisation, and administrative costs
*Please note the field trip fee does not include travel to/from Cordoba, accommodation, or meals apart from group lunches.
Final Enrolment Deadline: 31 March
To Apply - scroll down for instant access to the online form. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all places are filled or the final deadline of 31 March. We suggest applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Further instructions and information, including advice on accommodation, will be sent upon official acceptance.
Questions? Please see FAQ below. If you have questions not addressed here please contact us at [email protected]
FAQ
Is the field trip open to anyone?
The field trip is open to professionals and students interested in medieval Islamic art, architecture, and archaeology, games/XR+, and the Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections
Do I need to speak Spanish to participate?
It's helpful but not necessary - we can provide translation as necessary. Let us know if this would be helpful for you.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes, please ensure you have travel insurance to protect you and cover your travel costs should anything unexpected happen to prevent your participation in the field trip, or if the field trip is canceled for any reason.
Do you offer funding?
We regret the field trip is not subsidized and we can not offer funding at this time. However, we're happy to provide an official letter of acceptance onto the field trip that you can use to seek funding independently to support your participation.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all places are filled or until the final deadline of 31 March 2024. The application is accessible instantly online below.
If you have questions not addressed here please contact us at [email protected]
THE FIELD TRIP IS FULL AND ENROLLMENT HAS CLOSED
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