The Ministry of Culture has begun the procedures to declare the Casa Mudéjar-Casa Árabe of Córdoba (located at Samuel de los Santos y Gener street, 9) as a Good of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the category of Monument.
The Official State Bulletin has published the initiation of the file, which entails the application of this highest category of protection established in Law 16/1985, of June 25, of Spanish Historical Heritage.
Located in the historic center of Córdoba, the Mudéjar-Arab House is a property of great historical and architectural value, resulting from the union of five narrow houses. Its labyrinthine design is organized around four patios and a tower, following the models of Mudéjar architecture. The location of this building in the parish of Santa María, near the Mosque-Cathedral, reflects the historical distribution of plots after the reconquest, assigned to lineages of social and political relevance.
Among its most notable features are elements of Mudéjar and Andalusian art, such as polylobed arches, caliphal capitals, polychrome wooden ceilings, and plaster decorations with Arabic motifs. In addition, a set of 15th-century mural paintings in the Hall of Ambassadors stands out, representing allegories of theological and cardinal virtues. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the House has been the subject of various conservation interventions, the most recent being in 2011, which received the ‘Cities of Heritage of Humanity’ award, allowing its adaptation as a cultural space and ensuring the preservation of its heritage values.
According to the Casa Árabe website, the text of the resolution published in the BOE is reproduced: “the location of this house in the so-called ‘parish of Santa María’ is not a coincidence. It was customary at the time for the plots closest to the Mosque-Cathedral to be assigned to the most powerful and close to the king for their services to the crown. According to architects and researchers, this building served as a residence for locally relevant figures between the 14th and 15th centuries. In this sense, the property is ‘a reflection of a historical period and the transfer of knowledge of a society composed of a mosaic of diverse populations and religions’, which ‘constitutes a historical and cultural testimony of the development of societies at the political, social, and cultural level'”, concludes the resolution.
If the declaration as a Good of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the category of Monument is approved, the appropriate actions would be initiated to carry out “its legal protection, increase knowledge of the asset, and take the necessary measures for its proper conservation.” In this way, the two headquarters of Casa Árabe would enjoy the same degree of protection, asthe building in which the institution is located in Madrid, the former “Escuelas Aguirre,” received the same recognition just over a year ago, in February 2025.
