Statue Of Almanzor, Algeciras
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The Statue of Almanzor is a 2002 statue depicting the medieval Islamic Spanish ruler
Almanzor Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri ( ar, أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر المعافري), nicknamed al-Manṣūr ( ar, المنصور, "the Victorious"), which is often Latiniz ...
. It originally sat in what are now believed to be Christian ruins in the southern Spanish city of
Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...
. It was removed in 2013 and has yet to be reinstalled.


Design

The statue was the winning design in a competition. It is a
modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
style statue made of bronze, and depicts
Almanzor Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri ( ar, أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر المعافري), nicknamed al-Manṣūr ( ar, المنصور, "the Victorious"), which is often Latiniz ...
with a
Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
in his right hand and a sword in the left. Alberto Pérez de Vargas, a professor at
Complutense University The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loca ...
, said that "it would be difficult to find a qualifier that has not been applied to lmanzor from 'Islam's El Cid' to 'The Beast', going through everything imaginable for good or evil". He organised raids against the Christian states of northern Spain, where his armies destroyed cities and took slaves.


History

The statue was erected in
Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...
,
Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...
, Spain in 2002. Designed by Mariano Roldán, it was installed in ancient ruins on the one-thousandth anniversary of the death of Almanzor, a military leader of
Islamic Spain Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the Mu ...
and seen as one of the greatest leaders of
Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...
. It was originally located in the Marinid Walls of Algeciras before being removed for restoration. In August 2013, the Algeciras City Hall, governed by the right-wing People's Party, removed the statue in order to repair its patina and complete other restorations. The local Deputy for Culture, Pilar Pintor, said that it would be removed to a more historically relevant location after the original location, once thought to be archeological remains of an Islamic site, was re-assessed as Christian ruins. An ancient kiln, discovered in these ruins several years prior, was to be placed at the statue's original site, with the local council explaining that it signified the importance of ceramics in Algeciras' history. In November 2016, with no update on the restoration of the statue, the matter was brought up in the City Hall by Leonor Rodríguez, a council member from the left-wing party Podemos. She accused the local government of hiding history. The following June, the statue was found covered in a sheet in a warehouse; Socialist Workers' Party councillor Fran Fernández accused the PP of not looking after local heritage. As of August 2020, the statue is still not on public display.


See also

*
Bust of Abd al-Rahman III, Cadrete A bronze bust of Abd al-Rahman III, the first Caliph of Córdoba, was unveiled in June 2016 in the small Spanish town of Cadrete near Zaragoza in Aragon. Three years later, it was removed by the right-wing new local government. The removal prompted ...


References


External links

{{coord missing, Spain 2002 sculptures Almanzor, Algeciras Removed statues Almanzor, Algeciras Algeciras Almanzor, Algeciras Monuments and memorials in Andalusia Almanzor, Algeciras Almanzor, Algeciras