HISTORY

The Casa de los Árabes was used first as the College of St. Ambrose from 1689 to 1774. It was the first religious school in Havana. At the end of the 19th century it was known as La Casa de los Notarios (the House of Notaries), because the lawyer Santiago Cancio Bello was one of its owners. In 1940s it fell into the hands of an Arab family.

ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

The building has significant heritage value, as it is one of the most striking examples of the Moorish influence on the Cuban architecture. The Mudéjar architecture and decoration style, developed in the Christian Iberia in the Middle Ages, was exported to Cuba by the Spanish colonialists. It was a successful mixture of Arabic, particularly Moorish, and Spanish artistic elements.

ARABS IN CUBA

It is estimated that between the years of 1860 and 1930 about 33.000 Arabs came to Havana from different countries, such as Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and to a lesser extent from Egypt and Algeria. They settled in the so-called Arab Quarter that occupied the area that included the Monte, San Nicolás, Corrales, Anton Recio and the Figuras streets today. The Arabic imprint on Cuba was not only on the architecture, but also several thousand Spanish words of Arabic origin were introduced to the island. By passage of time it became necessary to establish a center that would disseminate the Arab values, customs, traditions, art, and architecture on the island and encourage to study on the effects of the Arab presence in Cuba. Thus, the Casa de los Árabes was inaugurated in the building #12 on the Officios street, as part of the comprehensive restoration of the Old Havana in 1983. It was the first ethnographic museum of Cuba. In 1997 it moved to the current building that is two blocks away from its initial localization.

At present there isn’t any Arab community in Cuba, but Cuba has strong relations with the Arab world on economic, social and cultural basis. The rich collection of the museum composed of the donations by personalities from the Arab world, by the diplomats of the Arabic countries in Cuba, and by Fidel Castro.

THE MUSEUM - THE GROUND FLOOR

The ground floor is separated in several permanent exhibition rooms, such as the Sala Modos de Vida (Room of Lifestyles), the Sala Hispano-Árabe (Spanish-Arabic Room) and the Sala de Armas (Weapons Room).

In the Sala Modos de Vida, a Bedouin tent was put up to show the difficult life of these people in the deserts of the North Africa. The color and the motif of the mattresses, as well as the traditional dresses of the Bedouin dummies, are rather interesting.

In the Sala Hispano-Árabe, a few furniture from the 16th to 19th centuries, ornamented with excellent mother of pearl inlay, are exhibited to highlight the Arab influence on the Hispanic culture. The Mudéjar style furniture is recognized by the intricate geometric ornamentations, use of inlay or veneer, and brighter colors of wood or other materials. An oil painting is hung on the wall that illustrates the Moors, meeting the Spanish on a damaged wall.

The Sala de Armas is at the back of the ground floor, separated from the rest of the hall by ornate wooden room dividers, where a collection of weapons from various areas of the Islamic world are exhibited. The jambias with silver scabbards and handgrips ornamented with gold, comprise a noteworthy collection. Jambia (or janbiya) is the Arabic term generally used to describe a specific type of dagger with a short- curved blade and a medial ridge. It is one of the most used weapons in Arabic countries, particularly in Yemen, but also in India, in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was carried also during the circumcision feasts and nuptial ceremonies. In the showcase you will see a lot of ceremonial sabers. Saber (or sabre) is a sword with long cutting edge and often a curved blade. It is introduced from the Orient in the 18th century and most commonly used by the cavalry. There are also two samples of yataganes from the 19th century. Yatagan is a Turkish sword with thin body, sharp point and double curved blade, used preferably during attack to plunge into the body of the enemy.

In a separate showcase you will see an ostentatiously ornamented khanjar and a jewelry chest from Algeria. A khanjar, originating from Oman, is a short, curved sword that resembles a hook in shape. It can be made from a variety of different materials, depending on the quality of its craftsmanship.

The replica of the saber with golden scabbard and an old flintlock pistol from the 19th century, exhibited in another separate showcase, belong to Emir Abdelkader, the Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion in the mid-19th century. The flintlock pistol with silver engraving, made in Turkey in the 20th century, was used by the Major General Máximo Gómez.

On the right side of the ground floor is dedicated to the models of some Arab trading sailboats, the Dhows, and the Arab merchant that sells pearls. The wall is decorated with several picture tiles from Maghreb are present. The symmetry of the figures and the harmony of the colors are their prominent features. They accompany the visitor on the access way to the inner courtyard with a fountain in the center.