Many times we enter buildings, monuments, and palaces and ask ourselves, "What were the people who built these wonders like? Why did they do it?" Besides stopping to admire the beauty of the architecture, we believe it is important to go further and let history take us through time. For us, heritage and architecture are not dead stones, but living history.

     Europe has been a continent where many peoples and civilizations have passed, and all have left their mark through architecture. If we listen to what the buildings tell us, we can understand how the people who built them thought. We want to tell you how the personality of the peoples who lived in Europe was reflected in their architecture.

     We have chosen three very different cultures that lived in Europe and enriched us with their diversity because, for us, “United in Diversity” is much more than a slogan; it is also the DNA we share with the peoples who came to Europe and made it richer. We are a group of four young people, but we represent three nationalities, and we understand the importance of diversity.

     Celtic buildings show us their connection to nature through their rounded shapes and natural materials. They speak to us of their respect for the afterlife or their lives as warriors, through their fortified constructions.

     The magnificent Roman constructions tell us about their great organization, their military and commercial power, and the importance of large cities. Rome wanted to impress the world, and its buildings spoke to us of their dreams of greatness, technical progress, and order.

     Arab architecture shows us the secrets of their palaces: strong fortresses on the outside and paradise on the inside, where water and the beauty of their decoration invite us to admire and pray. Every centimeter of their walls is a work of art in stone.

     In our video, we show different types of buildings representing these three cultures (Celts, Romans, and Arabs). We show ancient hill forts, fortified settlements, monuments from all over Europe, images of arches, walls with inscriptions, etc., to show how architecture changes depending on place and time.

    Without a doubt, the Alhambra has a special role, as it is the most valuable jewel of Granada's heritage. We wanted to accompany the video with photos from visits we made with our school to show you how proud we are of our heritage. Telling the story of the Alhambra is talking about our own history, and we don't know anyone who has visited its palaces and gardens and has not been left speechless. When the stones speak, people fall silent.

    We recorded the audio because we believe a voice-over can speak to us, in the same way the stones whisper the stories we tell you. Our voices explain that all these buildings were built by people with different ideas, but with the shared goal of creating a place to live and share. We used old photos mixed with modern images to represent this journey through time.

    The style of the video is simple, but the message is clear: architecture brings cultures together and reminds us that we all come from the same place.

    Architecture is important today because we continue to live in and use the same buildings that our ancestors created many years ago. Thanks to architecture, we know how cultures interacted and learned from one another. In Europe, many architectural styles mixed, such as Roman, Arab, and Celtic, helping to create unique cities full of history.

    Architecture transmits values like respect, unity, diversity, and creativity. It also teaches us that if we work together, we can create long-lasting and very beautiful things, for us in the present and for those in the future.

    This project has helped us see heritage and architecture in a different way, not just as buildings, but as a part of us, a part of the DNA we share with the peoples who built the buildings we show you. This work has made us value our own culture and the cultures of others more.

    We want the people who watch our video to remember that diversity makes us stronger, and that the mixing of cultures brings us together as people. Our history was made by our ancestors. United, no matter our culture, where we come from, our skin color, or our gender, we will build the history of the future by listening to how the stones whisper stories of our past…

By Eloy Moreno, Rayan Essaidi, Cristina Mingorance and Adrián Nieto.      
(IES SEVERO OCHOA - Granada)