Europeans are in denial. Against a backdrop of Islamophobia, they are increasingly distancing themselves from their cultural debt to the Muslim world. But while the legacy of Islam and the Middle East is in danger of being airbrushed out of Western history, its traces can still be detected in some of Europe's most recognisable monuments, from Notre-Dame to St Paul's Cathedral.
In this comprehensively illustrated book, Diana Darke sets out to redress the balance, revealing the Arab and Islamic roots of Europe's architectural heritage. She tracks the transmission of key innovations from the great capitals of Islam's early empires, Damascus and Baghdad, via Muslim Spain and Sicily into Europe. Medieval crusaders, pilgrims and merchants from Europe later encountered Arab Muslim culture in journeys to the Holy Land. In more recent centuries, that same route through modern-day Turkey connected Ottoman culture with the West, leading Sir Christopher Wren himself to believe that Gothic architecture should more rightly be called 'the Saracen style', because of its Islamic origins.
Recovering this overlooked story within the West's long history of borrowing from the Islamic world, Darke sheds new light on Europe's buildings and offers rich insights into the possibilities of cultural exchange.
A New Statesman Book of the Year 2020, chosen by William Dalrymple.
A BBC History Magazine Best Book of 2020.
'An exhilarating, meticulously researched book that sheds light on centuries of borrowing, tracing the roots of Europe's major buildings.' The Guardian
'Another brilliant challenge to Islamophobes everywhere, skilfully telling the architectural counterpart of Moller's tale, and showing how much Gothic architecture drew on the forms and innovations of Arab architects and mathematicians.' William Dalrymple in The Spectator
'This persuasive study argues that northern Europe's greatest gothic buildings are deeply indebted to the Arab world...[it is] a useful reminder of the interconnectedness of civilisation.' The Observer
'[A] fascinating book. Revelatory [and] eye-opening.' Los Angeles Times
'An extraordinarily ambitious work, part cri de coeur and part textbook on Islamic architecture and its influence on the West.' Times Literary Supplement
Industry Reviews
'An exhilarating, meticulously researched book that sheds light on centuries of borrowing, tracing the roots of Europe's major buildings.' -- The Guardian
'Another brilliant challenge to Islamophobes everywhere, skilfully telling the architectural counterpart of Moller's tale, and showing how much Gothic architecture drew on the forms and innovations of Arab architects and mathematicians.' -- William Dalrymple in The Spectator (Book of the Year 2020)
'This persuasive study argues that northern Europe's greatest gothic buildings are deeply indebted to the Arab world ... [it is] a useful reminder of the interconnectedness of civilisation.' -- The Observer
'An extraordinarily ambitious work, part cri de coeur and part textbook on Islamic architecture and its influence on the West.' -- Times Literary Supplement
'[A] fascinating book. Revelatory [and] eye-opening.' -- Los Angeles Times
'Intriguing and eye-opening.' -- Asian Review of Books
'As exhilarating as it is learned, this splendidly illustrated book shows how our cultures--including our religious cultures--interact and interweave in ways that challenge all kinds of assumptions we might make about our history. By studying our past, Darke poses essential questions about the possibility of a shared and humane civilisation in the future.' -- Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
'Diana Darke writes about Syria and its cultural heritage with love, clarity and authority.' -- Sir Michael Palin
'In this original and enlightening book, Darke takes us on a journey of discovery. From the churches of the "Dead Cities" of Syria to Notre-Dame de Paris, she guides us while sharing her passion for the connections between the cultures of the Middle East and those of Europe.' -- Venetia Porter, Curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle East Art, British Museum
'Lively and provocative, this book takes us from Christopher Wren through an exploration of how ideas from the Islamic Middle East profoundly influenced the architecture of Western Europe. Darke's enthusiasm and love for all things Syrian is apparent on every page. A great read for anyone seeking an alternative viewpoint.' -- Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic, SOAS University of London
'A fascinating account of the way in which architectural techniques, ideas and aesthetics are actively and explicitly shared between people, indifferently as to whether they happen to be friends or enemies. Darke's book reveals much that is surprising about the canon of European architecture, telling us how human relations are inevitably shared and forgotten only at their mutual peril.' -- Faisal Devji, Professor of Indian History, University of Oxford
