On Thursday, August 4th, 2016, and as part of its 2nd cultural tour to Andalusia, the International Youth Exchange Programme (Zajel) of the Public Relations Department at An-Najah organized a graduation ceremony at Alhambra Palace in Granada.

The ceremony celebrated a number of An-Najah graduates and students who recited An-Najah anthem at the Generalife.

The tour was over 5 days from August 4th-14th, 2016 and included 24 students from the university’s various faculties.

The tour aimed at encouraging cultural exchange through Zajel and introducing An-Najah students to the Arab Islamic history and culture in Spain.

Participating students were trained on using travelling systems through airports, train stations, public transportations and tourist busses and learned about the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The students visited 5 Spanish cities; namely, Barcelona, Granada, Córdoba, Seville and Madrid.

The tour started in Barcelona where participants visited its Old City to learn about the tourism Investment components which are based on ethnic diversity and openness to other cultures. They went to the National Museum of Catalan, the Gaudí House-Museum, the Camp Nou stadium, the Marine Resort, the Catalonian Museum of Science and Industry and the Gothic Quarter.

In their visit to Granada, the students visited Albayzin Neighborhood, Alhambra Palace, Generalife Palace and the Grand Mosque of Granada.

In Seville, they visited Al-Mu’tamid Ibn Abbad Palace, the Mushrooms Tower, the Seville Cathedral and the Torre Del Oro in addition to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

Mr. Alaa Abu Dheir, Zajel Coordinator was the tourist guide who explained the historical context of each tourist attraction.

Student Tala Jammal described her experience: “It was a wonderful and enriching tour. We learned about the European and the Andalusian culture which was initially netted by Arab Muslims. No doubt that this land is a magical place I dreamed to visit; therefore, I thank An-Najah for making this dream possible”.