The Casa de los Arabes in Havana is easy to miss, hidden in one of the ubiquitous colonial-era manses that line the winding streets of the Cuban capital. But inside the “Arab House” the stories of the island's Arab immigrant community and the formative role it played in the country's history is revealed.
One room displays traditional Arab weaponry such as swords and rifles, some of which were presented as gifts by foreign dignitaries to Fidel Castro, who led the Cuban revolution in the 1950s. Another room recreates a Bedouin tent in the Kuwaiti desert. And another features photos of early immigrant families, along with letters and personal possessions illustrating their stories.
Jackeline Diaz Fuentes, director of Casa de los Arabes, told The National that before Cuba was discovered by European explorers, the Arab world had an influence on Spanish-speaking people through Muslim rule in Spain that lasted more than 700 years.
“There are many Arabic words that came into Spanish, even our expression 'ojala' – 'hopefully' – comes from the Arabic phrase 'inshallah',” she said.
Spanish architecture, heavily influenced by Islamic rule in the country, also made its way to Cuba.
Cuba has historically been a major hub for international trade, its ports full of ships shuttling sugar, cotton and manufactured goods between the Americas and Europe. People from all over the world – either of their own free will or as slaves or indentured servants – came to Cuba over the centuries, and most people on the island can claim indigenous roots, alongside African, European, or Asian.
Arabs came to Cuba in the second half of the 19th century. The first Arab immigrants came to the island, as well as other parts of the Americas, from the Levant, which was undergoing severe upheaval at the time.
Economic depression, high taxes and fears of military conscription under the Ottoman Empire, as well as shrinking available farmland and the collapse of the regional silk trade, pushed many in Levantine countries to seek opportunities in other parts of the world.
The ultimate destination for many who came to Cuba from Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere was the US, but the island was a key point of entry to the West, Ms Diaz Fuentes explained.
“First, young [Arab] men came alone and got into street vending, eventually establishing stable import businesses,” she said, highlighting that while initially the men would bring families and brides from their home countries, members of the community eventually began marrying into the local population.
Over time, this community integrated more and more into the culture of the island. Arab Cubans even took up arms during the war of independence from Spain in 1895.
“There are memorable examples of Arabs that were incorporated, that identified themselves with the Cuban people and with their fight to achieve improvements in their standard of living,” Ms Diaz Fuentes said.
The community has largely assimilated into wider Cuban culture, but descendants of the first immigrants formed the Arab Union of Cuba in the 1970s to preserve and promote Arab culture and contributions to the island.
Today, Cuba is still a magnet for people from the Arab and Muslim world, particularly for the hundreds of students that come to study. Casa de los Arabes used to be the site of the only mosque on the island, which was used exclusively by foreign diplomats and their families. But that changed when another mosque, funded by Saudi Arabia, was built across the street from the museum in 2015.
Arab influence can be found everywhere – even the island's distinctive guayabera, a lightweight summer men's shirt, was redesigned and popularised by a Lebanese textile merchant.
“There is an inextricable link between Cubans and Arabs,” Ms Diaz Fuentes said. “They left an indelible print on Cuba's national history.”