+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:

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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

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LÁz

qu

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Ca

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LLó

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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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