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Stealing from the Saracens

How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe

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Stealing from the Saracens

By: Diana Darke
Narrated by: Christine Rendel
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About this listen

Against a backdrop of Islamophobia, Europeans are increasingly airbrushing from history their cultural debt to the Muslim world. But this legacy lives on in some of Europe's most recognizable buildings, from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Houses of Parliament.

This book reveals the Arab and Islamic roots of Europe's architectural heritage. Diana Darke traces ideas and styles from vibrant Middle Eastern centers like Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo, via Muslim Spain, Venice, and Sicily into Europe. 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.

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.

©2020 Diana Darke (P)2022 Tantor Architecture Europe Middle Ages Middle East Italy Crusade
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An excellent book to enlightened minds on facts that have been whitewashed for centuries!
Beautifully presented and read.

historically correct

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Unless you have some supernatural aural ability to weather endless visual descriptions bereft of any photos or diagrams, give this audio book a huge miss. If, at some later date, they do add PDF images to the audiobook, skip this negative review and count it as a 4 star. Got about halfway through it and just couldn't tolerate it any more.

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