Aljaferia Palace, Spain

A must for all tourists that arrive in Zaragoza is to visit the Aljaferia Palace, which is the second most visited historic site in Zaragoza. This medieval Islamic palace was built by Muslims on the banks of the Ebro River in the 11th century. Abu Ya far Ahmad, known as Al-Muqtadir, king of Saraqusta ordered its construction and it was called Qasr al -Surur (The Joy Palace).

The importance of Aljaferia lies in the fact that it is the only preserved building from the Hispanic Islamic architecture of the Taifas time. The mudejar remains of the Palace of Aljaferia were declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2001 as a part of the whole “Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon”.

The Palace of Aljaferia belongs to the Parliament of the Regional Government (Aragon Government) and the Parliament sessions are held there. This is a very important fact that assures the sustainability of the building and its preservation and it is also a good example of the juggle of public, cultural and touristic usages and of the impact on private enterprises. The location of the Aljaferia in the city has a very important and positive impact on the private and local business around it, because of the amount of visitants and public employees.

Potential collaborators:

  • Team of the Managing Service of Aljaferia
  • Private entity which is the awardee of the guided tours at Aljaferia
  • UNESCO
  • Gozarte
  • Casa Emilio Restaurant
  • Art Restorer
  • Historian
  • People from other cultural sites in Zaragoza

Training schedule:

DAY 1

  • Mudejar Art, its presence in Spain, Aragon and Zaragoza. Mudejar routes. (1,5h)
  • Coffee (0,5h)
  • History of the Palace of Aljaferia, historical and actual usages  (1-1,5 h)
  • Attendance to a Session of the Parliament.
  • Lunch (13:30-15:00)
  • Guided Tour at Aljaferia (1,5 h)
  • End of the training session

DAY 2

  • Managing Service of Aljaferia: The Aljaferia Management (1h)
  • The importance of a touristic building for the sustainability of the city and the preservation of the cultural heritage. (UNESCO 1,5h)
  • Coffee (0.5h)
  • The importance of Aljaferia as a good example for the private initiatives.
  • Lunch (13:30-15:00)
  • Visit to the Old Town, other mudejar sites. Visit to the Goya Museum. (to decide)
  • End of the training session
  • Dinner in Group

DAY 3

  • Examples of business related with Aljaferia cultural heritage
  • The experience of the Casa Emilio Restaurant, its history and the impact of the allocation of the Parliament at the Aljaferia. (0,5h)
  • The experience of a souvenir shop  (0,5h)
  • The experience of the company in charge if the guided tours at the Aljaferia (1h)
  • Coffee (0,5h)
  • The experience of  a restoration business (0,5h)
  • Gozarte. The experience of a local entity that works for disseminating the knowledge of the Cultural Heritage. (1h)
  • Lunch (13:30-15:00)
  • Visit of the ‘New City’, Expo 2008, Riverbanks of Ebro River. (to decide)
  • End of the training session

DAY 4

  • Brief lecture about entrepreneurship, guideline for business plan and work formats (1h)
  • By teams, a business plan for a private or public entity related to cultural heritage will be define. (1h)
  • Coffee (0,5)
  • Work in groups (1h)
  • Every group will expose its work. (1h)
  • End of the training session