Territorio Mudéjar commemorates the 25th anniversary of the extension of the designation of Mudejar Architecture in Aragon as World Heritage by UNESCO with a programme World Heritage by UNESCO with a programme of actions which will be will be carried out during 2026 and 2027 and which will have as one of its main milestones will be the celebration, next month in November, of the National Meeting of Managers of World Heritage Sites World Heritage which every year is held by the Ministry of Culture. The event will bring together in Aragón leaders and experts in wealth management from the following countries Spain, Portugal and Andorra to share experiences, analyse common challenges and discuss on the future of conservation, communication and management of the properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage Sites. Furthermore, to mark this anniversary, a number of special tours have been organised, a series of podcasts and programmes for educational purposes for schools rural and adult classrooms for, among other activities.

The commemoration will serve to reinforce the social and institutional recognition of one of the cultural legacies that are most distinctive in Aragon and to highlight the work carried out by the municipalities that make up the network of Territorio Mudéjar network, consolidating its role as a national benchmark in the management, promotion and revitalisation of the World Heritage in rural areas. This was explained today at a press conference by the -manager of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, and the deputy delegate for Culture of the Provincial Council of Zaragoza, Charo Lázaro.

The programme is structured through a strategic communication plan designed to strengthen cultural engagement and activation through a strategic communication plan designed to strengthen cultural engagement and activation through a strategic communication plan designed to strengthen cultural engagement and activation through a strategic communication plan and cultural engagement designed to strengthen the territorial identity linked to Mudejar culture, to increase its profile nationally and internationally and to encourage citizen involvement and institutional involvement in the preservation of its Outstanding Universal Value Exceptional. This communication plan has been designed and drafted thanks to the Grants for projects aimed at conservation, protection and promotion of sites designated World Heritage sites 2025 from the Ministry of Culture.

The first events of the commemoration get underway today with the recording live broadcast this afternoon at 7.00 pm at the headquarters of the Fundación Caja Rural de Aragón (Calle Coso, no. 29 in Zaragoza), of the first episode of a series of podcasts dedicated to Mudéjar art and to World Heritage . This new space for outreach will address key issues key issues such as the significance of the World Heritage listing, the uniqueness of the Mudejar architecture of Aragon, the role of UNESCO in the protection of heritage or the capacity to these assets to foster identity, social cohesion and impact on the territory. The launch of the project is supported by funding from the Provincial Council Provincial Council of Zaragoza, the Ministry of Culture, the collaboration of the Fundación Caja Rural de Aragón and the development in conjunction with the project Esto No Es un Museo.

The second of the measures will be the launch of a new new package of routes for Paseos with Firma, an initiative which invites you to discover the heritage Mudejar from perspectives that are innovative through a series of guided tours led by specialists. In addition to the usual World Heritage tours, there will be several special routes that delve deeper into the significance and the international significance of the UNESCO declaration in the municipalities within the network. The first of these tours will take place on Sunday 14 June to the World Heritage sites in (Cervera de la Cañada, Calatayud and Tobed) exactly when there are six months to go until the anniversary of the designation on 14 December. This is a new format for the timetable tomorrow morning schedule; those interested can come along using their own means and is subject to groups of a very small number a maximum of 15 people.

The plan has designed, in addition, a comprehensive set of measures educational and cultural mediation initiatives aimed at various audiences. In the school setting, we will once again work with the pupils from schools in rural areas from nursery through to sixth form on topics centred on Mudejar art as an identity, as well as on knowledge and understanding of World Heritage UNESCO. The new feature will be the design of teaching guides for schools and teachers which enable the introduction of the content into the various areas of knowledge of the educational projects of the various schools. To this end, in September we will begin working on a pilot project with the team of teachers from the schools in the Sierra de Algairén such as the CEIP Ramón and Cajal in Alpartir, the CEIP Sierra de Algairén de Almonacid de la Sierra and the CRA La Cepa.

The programme on teaching incorporates also various training initiatives for classrooms at adult or universities for older learners focused on knowledge and understanding of World Heritage sites. Among these the following stands out: the provision of a programme specifically designed for older people dedicated to Mudejar architecture and UNESCO World Heritage, in which the fundamental concepts such as Outstanding Universal Value will be addressed, the functioning of the List of World Heritage Sites, the Convention on World Heritage Sites of UNESCO, or the challenges currently facing the fields of conservation and management. The format may be adapted also to associations and organisations interested in incorporating it into their training programmes.

Likewise, we will continue to work on the recruitment of professionals to Territorio Mudéjar, on this occasion, the 7th call for applications for Research Stays for Research projects and Artistic Residencies Artistic Residencies, which will be launched at the end of summer in 2026, will address the possibilities for the application of the guidelines of the Convention on World Heritage in the management of innovative approaches to the heritage resources and their context of urban and cultural landscape.

One of the key moments of the programme will be the celebration in November of the National Meeting of Managers of World Heritage Sites. This annual forum is organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain since 2007 and constitutes the main venue for professional networking for those who work in the management of heritage assets listed on the List of World Heritage sites in our country.

Its aim is to contribute to a more effective conservation of these places and to promote the creation of networks of collaboration between managers, institutions and administrations. In its various editions, it has brought together more than a hundred or so participants associated with historic sites, monuments, cultural landscapes cultural landscapes, nature parks nature parks, cultural routes cultural routes, archaeological sites archaeological sites and other sites recognised by UNESCO.

The choice of Territorio Mudéjar as venue for this edition represents a recognition of the work carried out over the last few years in the field of research, conservation, training of professionals, outreach, dissemination and management of cultural heritage in rural areas. On this occasion, the topic we are working on is the training of professionals to address the challenges of managing our heritage and, in particular, the special characteristics that are offered by the properties UNESCO in its various settings and specific circumstances which require for ongoing training that integrates knowledge and skills across the board in different areas for a management focused on the future.

The plan designed includes in addition an important strategy for communication and visibility which envisages specific actions for different profiles of audiences in media of traditional and digital communication, social networks, installation of illuminated displays featuring the identity of UNESCO World Heritage sites in key locations, publication of informative materials for visitors such as the guides to partner towns, the design of new informative media and the signage for vehicles intended for the routes and activities of promotion carried out by Territorio Mudéjar.

With this programme, Territorio Mudéjar aims to turn the celebration of this 25th anniversary into an opportunity to strengthen public awareness of Mudejar architecture in Aragon, to broaden public participation centred on the heritage and to promote internationally a model of management which positions the rural municipalities and their capacity to work in the centre of conservation and the promotion of World Heritage .

Although the UNESCO declaration refers to a specific selection of properties, the historical and landscape cultural value of the Mudéjar style is recognised in its entirety historical and landscape of the Mudejar extends extends throughout the whole of the territory of Aragon. For this reason, the commemoration of the 25th anniversary and the plan for action promoted by Territorio Mudéjar will have a global reach across the municipalities that make up the network, enhancing the visibility of its heritage, promoting new opportunities for dissemination and citizen participation and consolidating a strategy shared for the promotion of the Mudejar as an element of identity and development of the region.

World Heritage Site with UNESCO status

The Mudejar architecture of Aragon is inscribed on the List of World Heritage of UNESCO through a single complex of monuments located in Teruel, Zaragoza and in towns in the Mudéjar region. Since 1986, in the city of Teruel, the following form part of the list: the cathedral of Santa María de Mediavilla and the towers of San Pedro, San Martín and del Salvador. Since 2001, in Zaragoza, the extension of the listing included the palace of the Aljafería, La Seo or cathedral of El Salvador and the church of San Pablo. In the province of Zaragoza and members of Territorio Mudéjar, the properties registered are the collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor in Calatayud, the church of the Virgin of Tobed, in Tobed, and the church parish church of Cervera of La Cañada.

These buildings are some of the finest examples of the evolution of Mudejar art in Aragon and represent the extraordinary richness of a cultural heritage which has its roots in centuries of cultural exchange.

Although the UNESCO declaration recognises a specific selection of monuments, the commemoration and the plan of action promoted by TerritorioMudéjar will benefit the group of municipalities that make up the network. The measures planned will boost the visibility of Mudejar architecture throughout the region, promote new opportunities for dissemination, training and citizen participation and will consolidate a strategy shared strategy to value this legacy as an element of identity, cohesion and development of the region.

What is Mudejar?

The Mudejar style is a historical and artistic expression which is created ex novo or is adapted to new uses of the territory conquered by the Christians in the 12th century and in which the Islamic tradition persists. The continuity of the tradition Islamic or Al-Andalus may be technical-architectural, aesthetic -ornamental, or both. This persistence may stem from the activity of the Mudejar population itself or also from the Christian population whose activities are related a13> whose activity is related to that continuity. And the definition applies to heritage in its broadest possible definition: architecture, the artistic objects or movable assets associated, urban planning, the cultural landscape linked to processes of transformation of the resources, such as as all those cases included in the designation of intangible cultural heritage which may be associated with Mudejar culture. [TRASOBARES,V. 2026]

What does it mean to be a World Heritage Site?

The World Heritage is an convention of UNESCO aimed at identifying, protect and preserve cultural and natural heritage sites ofexceptional universal value for all of humanity. Its aim is to promote cooperation at the international level to preserve sites which might deteriorate or disappear due to a lack of resources.

The designation as a World Heritage Site recognises that these assets belong to the heritage of the world heritage of the world heritage of the world heritage of the world heritage of the world heritage of the world heritage of the world heritage of the properties belong to the heritage shared by all the peoples, even though they remain under the sovereignty of their countries. More than a mere recognition, it implies a commitment to ongoing protection and conservation.

Among the more than one thousand sites designated are include the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, the canals of Venice and the waterfalls of Iguazú. Spain is the fifth country in the world with the most sites listed, with 50 sites recognised.

Region Mudejar

Territorio Mudéjar is an association of local councils whose aim is to strengthen a unified and collaborative management network for the use of the resources historical – artistic elements linked to Mudejar heritage, regarding them as a driving force for development of the municipalities and as an element of identity for the preservation of the communities.

The partner municipalities are Acered, Almonacid de la Sierra, Alpartir, Aniñón, Ariza, Ateca, Bárboles, Belmonte de Gracián, Borja, Calatayud, Calatorao, Cariñena, Castejón de Valdejasa, Cervera de la Cañada, Cetina, Cosuenda, Daroca, Fréscano, Fuentes de Ebro, Gotor, Herrera de los Navarros, Illueca, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Longares, Magallón, Mainar, Maluenda, Mesones de Isuela, Morata de Jiloca, Muel, Pozuel de Ariza, Quinto, Ricla, Romanos, San Mateo de Gállego, Saviñán, Tarazona, Tauste, Terrer, Tobed, Torralba de Ribota, Torrellas, Torres de Berrellén, Utebo, Velilla de Ebro, Villafeliche, Villamayor de Gállego, Villanueva de Gállego, Villar de los Navarros, Villarreal de Huerva, Villarroya de la Sierra y Zuera. Además, Brea de Aragón participates as a municipality partner.