An ICOC Educational Experience:
The
Architecture, Carpets
and
Textiles of Moorish Spain and
Hispano-Moresque Carpet, Rueda
(wheel) design, Alcaraz, Spain, 15th century
Photo courtesy of David
R.E. Hunt, and Turkotek.com
Travel arrangements by
Academic Travel Abroad, Inc.,
Welcome
History,
culture, architecture and art of Andalusian Spain are inextricably linked to an
Islamic design heritage that began there some 1,300 years ago. The astounding
wealth of culture in al-Andalus became a turning point in the successful
recovery of the Iberian Peninsula after the collapse of Rome. On this tour we
will visit major cities and places where fine buildings, since transformed, but
with their integrity intact, still resonate with the ancient call of the
caliphs.
While the expulsion
of the Moors in the 15th -century essentially ended an important
period of Iberian history, the rich subtext of their unique language of pattern
lingered in the mudejar style that
followed. We will see numerous examples of Moorish and mudejar design in the museums of Madrid, in the legendary cities
and palaces of Al-Andalus, and in Lisbon.
Weavings in Spain
and Portugal were often influenced by early Turkish, Persian and European
models, yet express their distinctive Iberian palette, technique and unique
twists on style and pattern. We will see important carpet examples in Madrid’s
Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums, as well as in
Lisbon’s famous Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.
This tour launches
a new activity within ICOC’s mission for increasing our understanding of
weaving traditions, blending the culture and history of a region with its
carpets and textiles. Future ICOC tours will focus on indigenous weavings and
others on visiting the finest examples found in museums and private
collections.
All of us
interested in the art, history and medieval culture of these civilizations
share a remarkable intellectual and aesthetic journey. These experiences
influence our values and add meaning to our perception of the world.
We invite you to
join us.
Dennis R. Dodds,
Secretary-general
International
Conference on Oriental Carpets (ICOC)
Itinerary
November 3, Thursday: Meet in Madrid.
Arrive and transfer on your own to the 4-star NH Hotel
Nacional, just minutes from Spanish major museums. This afternoon we visit the
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, appropriately nicknamed the “MOMA”
of Spain and located on the Paseo del Prado at the southern end of the
so-called Golden Triangle of Art. This museum has the largest collection of 20th
century Spanish art located anywhere in the country and showcases Picasso’s
masterpiece Guernica along with work
by Juan Gris, Miró and Dalí. Gather this evening for dinner and opening
remarks. (D)
November 4, Friday: Madrid.
Meet with the Instituto
de Valencia de Don Juan’s director and foremost expert, Cristina Partearroyo
Lacaba. Spend the morning viewing this little-known, but marvelous, collection
containing numerous examples of Spanish, Moroccan and Hispano-Moresque rugs,
textiles and ceramics from the 10th to the 16th centuries. In the afternoon, tour the Thyssen-Bornemisza
Museum, a marvelous art collection with some important Classical carpets,
housed in the Villahermosa Palace. One of the world’s leading museums, the
Prado is a major repository of medieval religious art and early Italian and
Flemish painting, including Spanish masterpieces by Goya, Velazquez and El
Greco. (B)
November 5, Saturday: Córdoba.
Travel by the AVE, Spain’s high-speed train, to
Córdoba, capital of Moorish Spain for almost 500 years. At its zenith, Cordoba was one of the most
prosperous cities of Europe, outshining Byzantium and Baghdad in science,
culture and the arts. Check into the enchanting 4-star Hotel Conquistador
located in the city’s historic center, just opposite the imposing Mezquita.
Explore the Renaissance palace that houses the Archaeological Museum, view the
beautiful tapestries, furniture and ceramics at the Palace of Viana, and visit
one of the three remaining synagogues in Spain. (B)
November 6, SUnday: Córdoba.
We venture west into the gentle hills above the river
plain to the extraordinary Islamic site of
Medina al-Zahara.
Begun in the year 936 by the Spanish Umayyad caliph, Abd al-Rahman III,
this vast palace city was virtually destroyed by the
Berbers in 1010. Though largely unfinished,
the complex has been undergoing painstaking excavation
and masterful restoration since 1911.
Tour the elaborate remains of this Moorish Versailles, including
the palace and mosque. Enjoy
an afternoon at leisure in Cordoba to discover the
artistic and architectural riches of one of
Andalusia’s most charming cities. In the evening,
gather for a lecture at the hotel on prayer rugs and their architectural
references. (B)
November 7, monday: Córdoba and Granada.
Start the day
with our visit to the Mezquita, Cordoba’s 9th century
mosque with its myriad columns and arches and one of Europe’s finest examples of
Islamic architecture. It is the third largest mosque in the world. The
development of the Great Mosque paralleled Cordoba’s new heights of splendor.
Inside, the forest of columns made of marble, jasper, and onyx and dazzling
mosaics of colored and gilded tiles create a powerful, yet profoundly
contemplative, atmosphere. Following the re-conquest of Cordoba in 1236, a
Gothic cathedral with Baroque-style choir stalls was remarkably installed
within the former mosque. Later journey along the famous “Route of the White
Villages” toward the city of Granada, nestled at the foot of the
Sierra
Nevada Mountains and check into the Alhambra Palace Hotel. (B)
November 8, tuesday: Granada.
The last Moorish stronghold in Spain, the Alhambra was the
palatine city of the Nasrid sultans who ruled Granada from 1232-1492. Its spectacular interior courtyards, pools
and gardens reflect both the great wealth and love of exquisite architecture
characteristic of the period. The refined visual language was extremely
influential and was adapted by Spanish Christian monarchs, as well as by the
Islamic courts of Morocco where techniques and motifs established under the
Nasrids were adapted and elaborated upon for centuries.
The museum
contains an exquisite collection of Islamic art from the period, including some
textiles. Then visit Granada’s cathedral, the final resting place for the
Catholic monarchs, Fernando and Isabel.
Make your way through the narrow labyrinth of crooked streets of
Albaicin and view the many fountains, plazas, whitewashed houses, villas, and
remnants of the old city gate. Complete
your tour of Granada with a visit to the Corral del Carbon. (B)
November 9, wednesday: Ronda/Seville.
En route to
Seville, we stop in Ronda, the scene of the last great rising of the Moors
against Fernando and Isabel. After some
leisure time in this historic city of whitewashed houses perched on the edges
of a deep and dramatic gorge, we continue to Seville and check into the Hotel
Casas de la Juderia in the former Jewish quarter, where the ha-Sefarad were an important part of the
flourishing cultural mix which existed in Al-Andalus. Later attend a feast for
the senses, complete with a vibrant performance of flamenco
dancers and tapas dinner. (B,D)
November 10, thursday: Seville.
Seville has played an
international role for centuries, both receiving people from other societies
and sending explorers out to discover the world. See the elaborate Moorish minaret, la
Giralda, and Seville’s cathedral, the world’s largest Gothic edifice that
contains Zurbarán’s paintings depicting the life of Saint Peter, as well as
works by Goya and Murillo. Continue to
the Alcazar, a mudejar palace built
by King Pedro the Cruel in the 1360s.
This afternoon, discover masterpieces by Velazquez, Zurbarán, and
Murillo at the Museum of Fine Arts, located in a 16th-century
monastery. Visit the extraordinary
villa, Casa de Pilatos, built in the 16th century by the marquis of
Tarifa in the Moorish-influenced mudejar
style. A stroll through the Barrio Santa Cruz, a historic neighborhood that
once was home to the Arab and Jewish populations, rounds out your day in the
Andalusian capital. In the evening on your own, visit the 1930’s masterpiece of
late Mudejar style, the Alphonso XIII Hotel. Stroll past the former cigarette
factory where Carmen was seen by Prosper Merime leaving her shift with other
girls. The rest is operatic history. (B)
November 11, friday: Evora/Arraiolos/Lisbon.
On the road to Lisbon, we enjoy lunch in beautiful
Evora. Named a World Heritage City by
UNESCO, Evora was known as Liberalitas Julia in Roman times, before it was
ruled by the Visigoths and then captured by the Moors in 715. The city has kept intact its historic walled
center, palaces, convents and monuments that were the stage for some of the
most important events of Portugal's Golden Age.
After lunch take a short walking tour of the city, noting S. Bras Chapel
as a good 15th-century example of Moorish-Gothic architecture with
cylindrical buttresses. Before arriving
in Lisbon, stop in Arraiolos where carpets have been made using the bordado mourisco (Moorish stitch) since
the 16th century. This
embroidery technique is likely a legacy of earlier Arab weavers. When Father
António Vieira was preaching his famous sermons in Lisbon's São Roque Church,
high ranking citizens belonging to the Court sent their servants to the church
to reserve seats by spreading beautiful carpets on the church floor, large
enough to hold the members of their devout families. Contemporary accounts
relate that the flagstones of the church floor were covered with Persian and
Arraiolos carpets. Arrive in Lisbon and check into the 5-star Hotel
Tivoli. (B,L)
November 12, saturday: Lisbon.
Spend the morning with curator
Maria Fernanda Passos Leite at the Gulbenkian Museum of Art, Lisbon’s premier
art museum with splendid examples of Islamic art and Oriental carpets whose
collections were formed by the notable Armenian businessman Calouste
Gulbenkian. In the afternoon, we visit with curator Teresa Pacheco Pereira and
researcher Jessica Hallett who will give a lecture and tour of Lisbon's National
Museum of Ancient Art that houses some 45 Oriental carpets. Many date to the 16th
and 17th centuries and were acquired through Portugal's trading
contacts with Iran and India. These carpets were highly esteemed and provided
the inspiration for many of the designs used in the Portuguese embroidered
carpets of Arraiolos. Evening finds us gathering with fellow travelers for a farewell
dinner. (B,D)
November 13, sunday: Depart Lisbon.
Following breakfast, your
official ICOC educational tour has ended. Those who scheduled their flight home
on this day will transfer on your own from the hotel to the Lisbon Airport. For
those who choose to stay in Lisbon longer may wish to visit the Casa-Museu
Anastacio Goncalves, willed to Portugal by Gulbenkian’s physician Dr. Goncalves
in 1964. A short jaunt brings you to the
old palace that houses the Ricardo Espirito Santo Foundation, a museum of
Portuguese decorative arts. In the
Foundation’s workshops, artisans practice the traditional crafts of cabinet
making, wood inlaying, decorative painting, woodcarving, and bookbinding. Also,
you can make a day trip to Sintra -- not far from Lisbon -- and see some
textiles and carpets in the palaces there, especially noting the mudejar azulejos (Moorish-inspired tiles) in the Arab Hall of the National
Palace that are similar to those found in the Alhambra in Granada. And don’t
miss the National Tile Museum, as many of these ceramic designs were influenced
by textile art. (B)
Highlights
Tour
the most important Spanish art museums in Madrid.
See Hispano-Moresque rugs
and art at the Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan.
Discover the enchanting
Andalusian cities of Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada that have inspired painters,
writers and musicians for centuries.
Visit the awe-inspiring
Alhambra.
Tour the Gulbenkian
Museum’s collection of great carpets and Islamic art.
Take a special tour of
early carpets and textiles at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.
Attend a presentation on
Prayer Rugs.
Attend a lively
performance of flamenco.
Feast on exquisite
Mediterranean cuisine and savor the countries’ fine wines
Study Leaders
Certified
in-country tour guides will offer information at various historic sites along
the way. Curator Cristina Partearroyo Lacaba will lead us at the Instituto de
Valencia de Don Juan in Madrid. In Lisbon, researcher Jessica Hallett and
curator Teresa Pacheco Pereira will offer their expertise as they guide us
through the carpet and textiles at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga. At the
Fundacion Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Maria Fernanda Passos Leite will present
the
Museum’s extraordinary carpets and Islamic art collections to
us in a private tour. Dennis
Dodds,
Secretary-general
of ICOC, architect and collector of
Oriental
carpets, will offer a
presentation on the various design influences
on carpets from architectural
sources.
Accommodations
In Madrid, stay at the 4-star NH Hotel Nacional,
centrally located in the “Art Triangle”
overlooking the botanical gardens. Córdoba’s 4-star Hotel Conquistador is
conveniently located across from the Mezquita.
Built in the style of a Moorish castle, the 4-star Alhambra Palace hotel
sets the stage for your visit to historic Granada. In Seville, enjoy an authentic Andalusian
style house with courtyards, fountains and wrought iron gates, blending
perfectly with Barrio Santa Cruz at the Hotel Casas de la Juderia. Conclude your journey in the luxurious 5-star
Hotel Tivoli, which offers traditional Portuguese hospitality in the heart of
Lisbon.
Program Costs
Tour cost without
roundtrip air: $3,995
For a single room
add: $1,185
Program price based on a minimum of 25 participants.
Reservation Form
ICSPAN1105
An ICOC Educational
Experience:
The
Architecture, Carpets and Textiles of Moorish Spain and
Enclosed is a deposit for $_________ ($500 per person)
to hold __________spaces on ICOC’s The
Architecture, Carpets and Textiles of Moorish Spain and Portugal, November
3-13, 2005. Please make checks payable
to Academic Travel Abroad, Inc., or
complete the credit card information below and mail payment with completed
reservation form to: 1920 N Street, NW,
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The balance of the program price must be paid by check upon receipt of
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credit card, the international ticket will be charged to your account
approximately 3 weeks prior to departure.
Accommodations
[ ] We desire double-room
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Return to: Academic Travel Abroad, Inc.; 1920 N Street
N.W., Suite 200, NW; Washington,
D.C. 20036. For additional
information, please call Academic Travel Abroad at 800-556-7896, or ICOC at
215-248-0494.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE
TOUR COST
Hotel accommodations based on twin
occupancy.
All breakfasts and some
other meals, as noted in the itinerary.
All special visits,
excursions; all transportation and sightseeing with expert guides as set forth
in the itinerary.
The assistance of
a representative of ICOC and a Spain/Portugal-based tour manager.
Baggage handling
for one bag, plus one carry-on bag (not to exceed 44 lbs.) per person; pre-trip
notes and guidelines; service charges, taxes and basic gratuities.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Transportation to and from the
departure city; transfers to and from airports; passport photos and fees; visa
fees; personal items such as wines, liquors, a-la-carte orders, room service,
and valet/laundry charges; expenses incurred by Academic Travel Abroad in
making individual travel arrangements before or after the program; and other
items not specifically mentioned as included.
SINGLE/SHARED ROOMS
A
limited number of single rooms are available at extra cost on a first-come,
first-served basis, but availability cannot be guaranteed. Academic Travel
Abroad will assist persons requesting a roommate. However, neither a single
room nor a share can be guaranteed. Participants will be notified if we are
unsuccessful in finding a suitable roommate.
In this case, the single supplement will be charged.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
$500 deposit upon application.
Balance due upon receipt of invoice, 90 days before departure. Credit cards may
be used for airfare. If payment is not received by 30 days prior to departure,
your space is subject to cancellation.
CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS
After confirmation on the tour, a
nonrefundable processing fee of $150 per person will be charged upon written
cancellation. Written cancellation between 90-61 days of departure:full refund,
minus your deposit (including nonrefundable processing fee). Written
cancellation between 60 and 30 days prior to departure: 50% refund of the tour
price. Written cancellation within 30 days prior to departure: no refund.
Airfare is fully refundable
up to time of ticket issuance,
generally three to four weeks before departure. Thereafter tickets are nonrefundable
and no changes are allowed. Cancellation on day of departure or after tour
departs: no refund. No refund for unused portions of tour, including, but not
limited to, missed meals, hotel nights and sightseeing. Cancellation of program
by ICOC and Academic Travel Abroad: full refund. Cancellation of the program
after departure by ICOC or Academic Travel Abroad: full refund of all land
fees, less the cost of service up to the time of the group’s return. NOTE:
Neither ICOC nor Academic Travel Abroad accepts liability for any airline
cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable domestic
ticket to the tour departure city and return.
A NOTE ABOUT ITINERARY
AND COST
While every effort will be made to
carry out the program as planned, the itinerary as described is subject to
modification and change by ICOC and Academic Travel Abroad, Inc. The program
cost is based upon current airfares, tariffs, and currency values in effect
November 2004, and assumes that a minimum of 25 participants will join the
program. While we will do everything possible to maintain the listed price, it
is subject to change. If it is necessary to levy a surcharge, notification will
be given before time of invoicing (approximately 90 days prior to departure). In
the event of cancellation due to a surcharge, all monies are fully refundable
except for processing fee. All airline
tickets issued by Academic Travel Abroad, Inc. are subject to a $20 per person
service fee for domestic tickets and a $50 per person service fee for non-group
international tickets.
INSURANCE
A package of trip cancellation,
baggage and medical insurance is available through Academic Travel Abroad, Inc.
for coverage of nonrefundable expenses incurred in conjunction with
cancellation due to illness or accident. $150,000 of flight insurance is
automatically provided with each ticket written by Academic Travel Abroad.
HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS
To enjoy your travels to the fullest
you should be in good physical and mental health. Any physical condition
requiring special attention, diets, or treatment must be reported in writing
when the reservation is made. We reserve the right to decline to accept or
retain any person as a tour member should such a person's health, mental
condition, physical infirmity, or attitude jeopardize the operation of the tour
or the enjoyment of other participants.
RESPONSIBILITY
Academic Travel Abroad, Inc. and
ICOC act only as agents for the passenger with respect to all transportation, hotels,
and all matters of reservations and tour operation. We and our agents accept no
responsibility for loss, damage, injury, accident, delay or irregularity,
expense or liability caused by the defect of any vehicle or negligence or
default of any independent contractors, their employees, agents, or
representatives. Nor do we accept responsibility for losses or delays arising
from sickness, pilferage, acts of terrorism, weather conditions or acts of God.
All such losses or expenses shall be borne by the tour participant. We reserve
the right to cancel any tour prior to departure in which case the entire
payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. We likewise
reserve the right to decline to accept or retain any tour participant at any time
without being under any obligation to assign any reason therefor. In the event
of the exercise of this right, we shall be under no liability to such person(s)
except to refund such amount as our absolute discretion deems reasonable to
attribute to the uncompleted portion of the tour. Baggage is carried at the
owner's risk entirely. It is understood that air, ship or train tickets when
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concerned. The airlines and all other transportation companies involved in this
tour are not to be held responsible for any act, omission, or event during the
time the passengers are not on board their plane or conveyances. All services
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participant agrees on behalf of himself, his dependents, heirs, executors,
administrators and assigns to abide by the above conditions and to release and
hold harmless, Academic Travel Abroad, Inc., and any of their representatives
from any and all liability for any delays, damage, loss, injury or death
occurring in relation to this tour.
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