Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), took part in the International Scientific Symposium, themed “Andalusia: Traces and Readings,” organized by the Higher Institute of Applied Studies in Humanities and the University of Kairouan, at the Roman archaeological site, in Sbeitla, Tunisia. On Monday, April 29, 2024, Dr. Benarafa delivered ICESCO’s keynote speech during the opening session and presided over the first scientific session.

Dr. Benarafa delivered a lecture on Tuesday, the second and final day of the Symposium, titled “The Andalusian Model and the Civilizational Revival Project,” which tackles the importance of drawing inspiration from the Andalusian model to formulate a project for civilizational revival and peaceful coexistence, by investing in the historical civilizational aspects in architecture, thought, literature, arts, social relations, linguistics, and Islamic sciences.

The lecture also highlighted Andalusia’s pivotal role in human history, pointing out that the Islamic civilization was founded on the principle of civilizational communication internally and externally. This principle was reinforced by the Hajj routes and other civilizational routes, including the Andalusian routes by land and sea, and peoples’ efforts to maintain them. The lecture concludes that evoking these routes is necessary for the future of humanity, serving as a reminder of their role in peace-building and knowledge dissemination by facilitating the sharing of ideas and the transit of persons and goods.

The scientific event, which aims to ramp up interest in Andalusia and its Islamic civilization, saw the participation of prominent researchers from several countries, who presented their scientific papers in three areas, namely the Andalusians’ creativity in architecture, agriculture, traditional industries and foods, arts, sciences, music, Al Muwashahat poems, and literature, as well as the presence of Andalusian culture and heritage in the Arab and Islamic worlds.