es of
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YOUR Motto: “We must restore the honour of experi-
OUR TREASURE ence, wisdom and intergenerational dialogue.”
Frank Schirrmacher
– To develop and expand the competences of our cul-
As part of the European project “Your tural professionals to enable them to engage with the
Treasure - Our Treasure” AIFED has the elderly
pleasure to present some of the most im-
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– To motivate the elderly to take advantage of non-for-
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portant “treasures” of Granada. In the following pages mal learning opportunities
you will find a short description of them that we hope – To apply the methods of experiential learning
we entice you into explore more. Long term goals:
– To develop a new strategy for collaborating with older
Before starting, here is the background and description people
of the “Your Treasure - Our Treasure” project. This is a – To develop an own method that reaches the elderly
strategic partnership project funded by the European in general not only those with greater cultural interest
Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme.
The “population ageing process”, characterised by an freepatternsarea.com
“Your Treasure - Our Treasure” is funded by the Eu-
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increase in the age of the population and a decrease
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ropean Commission and the Erasmus+ Programme
in the number of children born is a common phenome- under the Key Action 2 Strand - Cooperation for inno-
non throughout Europe. The most affected area on the vation and the exchange of good practices, Strategic
continent is Southern Europe, which is hit hard by the Partnerships for adult education.
migration of young people. In recent years, more and
more young people have left small towns in the coun-
tryside for larger cities or migrated abroad looking for
job opportunities, which have exacerbated problems
such as the accelerated aging of the population.
The Main aims of the project are:
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– To prepare the participating institutions for working “The European Commission’s support for the produc-
with and engaging the elderly in a structured and con- tion of this publication does not constitute an endorse-
scious way ment of the contents, which reflect the views only of the
– To acquire effective methods of discovering, raising authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi-
awareness of and transmitting the values of older gen- ble for any use which may be made of the information
erations contained therein.”
THE TIMELESS CERAMIC LA TARACEA: GEOME-
TRIES AND COLORS
The ceramics that we can admire in To continue our journey through the
many shops throughout Granada, is traditions of craftsmanship that have
one of the liveliest and most appreci- made Granada one of the most artistically and cultural-
ated traditions of our city today. The ly interesting cities in Spain, we would like to talk today
styles in the processing of this mate-
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about a particular woodworking technique, introduced
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rial are many, starting from the most in Spain by Muslims and that saw its first works in Cor-
characteristic, the Fajaluza, to the doba, in the XII century: the Taracea. Through this pro-
style of the “metallic reflection” to that cess, also applicable on surfaces such as floors, walls
of the “dry rope”. and sculptures, it is used to artistically combine differ-
ent types of wood, including precious ones, such as
The objects that in the past were cre- mahogany, ebony, cedar, walnut or orange, with small
ated with this material were linked pieces of mother of pearl, ivory and metals, forming
to the traditional life of rural society, often taking their particular shapes and decorations of different geomet-
name from the city in which they were produced: this ric shapes.
is how, for example, the amphorae of Alhama or the freepatternsarea.com The combination and inlay of these elements creates
jars of Huéscar spread. With the industrialization of the
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mosaics of colors also inspired by the ornamental motifs
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work linked to the fields, in the second half of the twen- of the Alhambra. The technique of the wooden tarsea,
tieth century, new cheaper and more resistant materi- despite being mostly carried out today with a simplified
als were introduced for the production of these objects, and mechanized process, still sees the commitment
and ceramics transformed their work, preferring the of craftsmen engaged in their workshops following the
decorative sector. original procedure. The streets of the Alcaicera market
The most common ceram- and the Bazaar, which make up the ancient Arab and
ics in Granada is certainly Jewish quarter of the Grenadine capital, is the best
Fajaluza, whose name place to go in search of these exclusive ceramic pieces.
derives from the medieval
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its name to the potters’
quarter, where this tradi-
tion was already flourish-
ing in the 16th century.
THE MILLENNIAL TRADITION
OF THE BASKETS
The millenary art of the baskets still lives today in Gra-
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nada, testifying how our culture still breathes the cul-
ture of our past every day. These objects, in fact, are
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present today as in the most remote past in our homes,
even if the use made of them remains varied: object of
THE COLORFUL LIGHTS daily life before, decoration and sometimes companion
of some walk in the countryside today. Although few-
OF THE EAST er and fewer artisans dedicate themselves to making
In 800 years of Arab presence in the city of Granada baskets, also due to the scarce demand, these are still
we cannot help thinking about how much this culture widespread today and courses can also be taken in the
has influenced many aspects of our culture, influencing classroom to learn how to make them. Once used to
arts, crafts, habits. collect fruit and vegetables, eggs or to go to the mar-
Among the most precious jewels of our city we certain-
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ket, these objects are created through the interweav-
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ly find the granadine lamp (or lantern), which finds its ing of straw, wicker, rattan, and other natural spinning
origin in the specialization of Arab artistic tinning. The threads.
aesthetics of this object gives it a very high decorative What many organizations hope is that we return to the
value, adaptable to any type of architecture. The color- old methods of going shopping, even to the use of these
ed glass of the granadine lamp is supported by metals baskets. If it is true, in fact, that plastic is a very harm-
such as brass, tin, nickel, silver or tinplate, although the ful material for the environment and that the govern-
latter is the most common and used material. Through ment is taking steps to reduce its use in shops, replace
techniques such as embossing, perforated and tiling, it, returning to what tradition has taught us, it can only
the glasses, specially cut and matched according to be an advan-
chromatic harmonies of all kinds, are assembled and freepatternsarea.com
tage. For tradi-
tion itself, for
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welded.
This piece of furniture, which we generally find in its the undisputed
traditional style, easily adapts to even more contempo- value of this
rary designs. There are many clubs in the streets of the profession, for
historic center that have opted for this type of lighting, us and also for
increasing the warm and oriental atmosphere of Gra- the health of
nada. the planet.
harmonica, but in a special way on the guitar. The par-
MUSIC THROUGH THE STRINGS ticular responsiveness of this instrument, in fact, makes
it perfect to accompany the bright and vivid tones of
OF THE MOST FAMOUS CLASSIC flamenco.
Walking the streets of Granada, it is easy to find groups
GUITARS IN THE WORLD of this type, capable of creating around them, in a few
minutes, a festive crowd that stamps their feet to the
As part of the European project “Your Treasure - Our rhythm of the music, accompanying the dances. How-
Treasure”, which involves our association, we would
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ever, the history of the Granada guitar dates back to
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like to draw attention very distant times, the
today to another of oldest documentation of
Granada’s centuries- which dates back to the
old tradition: the gui- 16th century.
tar. In fact, Granada In Granada, there are still
is famous among mu- old workshops where the
sicians and passion- tradition of building guitars
ates around the world continues, where genera-
for the artisanal pro- tions of luthiers, such as
duction of this specific freepatternsarea.com Antonio Marín Montero
type of guitar, called
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or Alberto Cuéllar, some
“Granadina”, which is of the main Spanish gui-
characterized by the tar manufacturers, have
use of particular types worked dedicating their
of wood, specific pro- lives. Andrés Segovia, as
duction techniques is well known, was the
and harmonious full- best Spanish guitarist of
ness, that distinguish it the 20th century, whose
from other guitars. music reflected the culture
The grenadine has and atmosphere of the city
had great success in
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of Granada, a place of per-
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approaching flamenco, sonal and artistic growth.
a musical genre that In summary, it is not by
initially provided for the chance that the municipal-
use of the voice only, ity of Granada has announced the creation of a mu-
but which over time has seen the combination with seum on the history and crafts of the Spanish guitar, an
various types of instruments, such as the violin, the emblem of great relevance in our territory.
centuries and influenced by the many peoples who have
GRANADA CARPETS, A shared their history in our territory. We are pleased, in
this case, to emphasize one of the most precious arti-
TRADITION IN RECOVERY san products and perhaps not so well known by foreign
tourists, as well as by Spaniards from other areas: the
As part of the European project “Your Treasure - Our weaving of carpets.
Treasure”, we have the oppor- These types of rugs, gen-
tunity to collaborate with older erally called “Alpujarre-
people, often left behind in our
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ñas”, were made for do-
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busy societies, but possessing mestic use and were often
knowledge and experience that included in wedding kits.
we should not give up. Commercialization was
Thanks to this cultural back- not foreseen, but they are
ground, we can go to redis- the result of the need to
cover the memory of the many make the towns of Anda-
treasures of our city, Granada, lusia self-sufficient, often
that characterize it, making it forced to isolate them-
one of the precious jewels of selves. The colors were
our country. Crafts, in particu- freepatternsarea.com made with old fabrics, torn
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and inserted during work
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lar, is a very active sector in
Andalusia, transmitted over the with the loom. The de-
signs shown are of local
and North African inspira-
tion, made with weaving
techniques, such as the
native Alpujarra knot and
the Turkish knot, or “ghior-
dés”.
This tradition, which last-
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ed until the beginning of the 20th century, today sees
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a new renaissance, although there are few examples
of the original rugs, which have been produced for do-
mestic use and therefore are easily deteriorated.
In the streets of the city you can still find shops and
workshops dedicated to this splendid tradition.
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www.yourtreasureourtreasure.eu
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