This is a house number tile in Cáceres, showing the number 5.
PALRA
136572
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136061
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136317
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136573
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136062
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136318
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136574
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136063
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136319
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
The languages in this sign are Spanish and Arabic (transliterated into Latin letters).
"Casa Museo Árabe": Spanish, meaning Arab House Museum.
"Yusuf Al-Burch": An Arabic name, written in Latin script.
"Siglo XII": Spanish, meaning 12th century.
"Sālās": Looks like an Arabic word transliterated, probably meaning halls/rooms.
Then the list is in Spanish:
Zaguán: entrance hall.
Sala de té: tea room.
Sala de armas: armory.
Jardín: garden.
Sala de danza: dance hall.
Harem: harem (women’s quarters).
Alcoba: bedroom.
So this is a Spanish museum sign with Arabic influence, reflecting the mixture of cultures in Cáceres.
PALRA
136064
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136320
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136065
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136321
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
This is a photo from inside the Casa Museo Árabe in Cáceres, and it beautifully recreates the atmosphere of a domestic Andalusí-Mudéjar home.
Horseshoe arch: The iconic Islamic architectural form, typical of Al-Andalus, especially from the 10th–12th centuries.
Brick vaulted ceiling: Practical for cooling and a hallmark of Mudéjar construction.
Ceramic plates on the wall: Decorative and functional, echoing Nasrid and Mudéjar traditions.
Metal objects and scale: Everyday domestic tools, showing how a family would have lived.
Lamps: Hanging lanterns in colored glass, inspired by Islamic designs.
Tiles (azulejos): Geometric patterns reflecting Islamic aesthetics of symmetry and infinity.
Earthen jars (tinajas): Used to store water, oil, or grains, very typical of both Muslim and later Christian homes in Extremadura.
The Casa Museo Árabe is located in the Judería Vieja, where Muslims, Jews, and later conversos lived after the Christian Reconquest (13th–15th centuries). The house is a reconstruction, but it is based on archaeological and historical evidence of how homes in Islamic Cáceres would have looked. It represents the daily life of Mudéjar families (Muslims living under Christian rule) before the eventual expulsion.
PALRA
136066
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136322
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136067
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
—
PALRA
136323
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
Islamic geometric tilework (azulejo mudéjar)
PALRA
136324
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
Inscription:
At the top right: الله (Allah = God).
At the top left: محمد (Muhammad = Prophet Muhammad).
In the center: an open Qur’an, symbolizing divine revelation.
The main text below is written in Arabic script, in a traditional style used for Qur’anic verses and Islamic invocations, Ayat al-Kursi (The Throne Verse), Qur’an 2:255, one of the most important verses in Islam. Displaying Ayat al-Kursi there highlights the importance of Islamic spirituality and calligraphy in daily life during Al-Andalus.
Transcription (Arabic script):
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ
يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ
وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ
وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ
وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا
وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
Translation (English):
"Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence.
Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?
He knows what is before them and what will be after them,
and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.
His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth,
and their preservation tires Him not.
And He is the Most High, the Most Great."
This type of decorative calligraphy is often placed in Muslim homes, mosques, or shops for protection and blessing, as Ayat al-Kursi is believed to safeguard against harm.
Thisis the Ayat al-Kursi (The Throne Verse, Qur’an 2:255) displayed in the Museo Casa Árabe in Cáceres. The Museo Casa Árabe is located in the Judería Vieja, very close to the Ermita de San Antonio, and it showcases the Islamic heritage of Cáceres.
Cáceres was a Muslim stronghold (711–1229), marked by its walls, fortress, and Islamic water systems. After the Christian conquest, it became home to both Jews and Christians, creating the multi-religious city we can still trace today, and many architectural features, inscriptions, and traditions remain.
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