Against a backdrop of Islamophobia, Europeans are increasingly airbrushing from history their cultural debt to the Muslim world.
Diana Darke traces ideas and styles from vibrant Middle Eastern centers like Damascus, Baghdad.
This beautifully illustrated book reveals the Arab and Islamic roots of Europe\'s architectural heritage.
But this legacy lives on in some of Europe\'s most recognizable buildings, from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Houses of Parliament.
Against a backdrop of Islamophobia, Europeans are increasingly airbrushing from history their cultural debt to the Muslim world.
Recovering this long yet overlooked history of architectural borrowing, Stealing from the Saracens is a rich tale of cultural exchange, shedding new light on Europe\'s greatest landmarks.
She describes how medieval crusaders, pilgrims and merchants encountered Arab Muslim culture on their way to the Holy Land; and explores more recent artistic interaction between Ottoman and Western cultures, including Sir Christopher Wren\'s inspirations in the Saracen style of Gothic architecture.
Diana Darke traces ideas and styles from vibrant Middle Eastern centers like Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo, via Muslim Spain, Venice and Sicily into Europe.
This beautifully illustrated book reveals the Arab and Islamic roots of Europe\'s architectural heritage.
But this legacy lives on in some of Europe\'s most recognizable buildings, from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Houses of Parliament.
Against a backdrop of Islamophobia, Europeans are increasingly airbrushing from history their cultural debt to the Muslim world.
Recovering this long yet overlooked history of architectural borrowing, Stealing from the Saracens is a rich tale of cultural exchange, shedding new light on Europe\'s greatest landmarks.
She describes how medieval crusaders, pilgrims and merchants encountered Arab Muslim culture on their way to the Holy Land; and explores more recent artistic interaction between Ottoman and Western cultures, including Sir Christopher Wren\'s inspirations in the Saracen style of Gothic architecture.
Diana Darke traces ideas and styles from vibrant Middle Eastern centers like Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo, via Muslim Spain, Venice and Sicily into Europe.
This beautifully illustrated book reveals the Arab and Islamic roots of Europe\'s architectural heritage.
But this legacy lives on in some of Europe\'s most recognizable buildings, from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Houses of Parliament.
Against a backdrop of Islamophobia, Europeans are increasingly airbrushing from history their cultural debt to the Muslim world
