Alchemy of Leadership: The Córdoba Retreat

Alchemy of Leadership is a retreat designed for Muslim women navigating leadership, legacy, and personal growth. Held in the serene setting of House of Andalus, this immersive experience offers space to pause, reflect, and realign with your purpose.

Grounded in the principles of stewardship, the retreat is a curated space for women ready to explore the next phase of their journey with clarity and intention.

Context

In a rapidly changing world, we are called to lead with greater clarity, courage and authenticity.

Córdoba, once the intellectual and cultural heart of Al-Andalus, offers a powerful setting to reflect on leadership through the lens of our shared Islamic heritage.

For Muslim communities, our archives are full of lessons, yet many remain buried beneath centuries of history. In the captivating city of Córdoba, we gather to uncover them together.

Córdoba was where ʿAbd al-Raḥmān I arrived as an exile and imagined a new future. What followed was the emergence of a civilisation that flourished for over eight centuries — built on curiosity, scholarship, collaboration and vision.

This retreat invites you to walk through the city where these ideas once took root, and to reflect on what they might mean for how we live, contribute and lead today.

What We Will Explore

• The living legacy of Al-Andalus through Córdoba’s streets, stories and spaces• Leadership lessons from Muslim scholars, innovators and visionaries• The courage to step into the unknown and imagine new possibilities• Stewardship and responsibility as foundations of lasting leadership• Reflection on how we shape systems and legacies that endure beyond us

The Experience

Al-Andalus itself was a stewarding process: communities, scholars and thinkers from diverse backgrounds shaping a flourishing civilisation together. In a world searching for better solutions, its legacy offers valuable insight into how knowledge, collaboration and vision once shaped society.

Through exploring these stories in the place where they unfolded, this retreat creates space for Muslim women to reflect on their own journeys, whatever path they are on. By reconnecting with this shared heritage, participants are invited to consider how we too can become stewards in our time — nurturing ideas, communities and spaces where others may flourish.

Your Guides

Henrietta SzovatiFounder of House of Andalus, historian of Al-Andalus and author of The Bookseller of Córdoba and Mosaics of Andalus. Henrietta has spent nearly two decades studying and sharing the history and cultural legacy of Islamic Spain.

Sabah GilaniSocial entrepreneur and founder of the Muslim Mind Collaborative and Muslim Women Founders. Sabah brings extensive experience in leadership development, strategy and community innovation.

Retreat fee £1,050 (exc.flights to Malaga airport). For more information, visit www.sabahgilani.com

Expression of Interest: https://forms.gle/i5GyFLPVCXaa4vnw7