Researcher Diana Dark presents in her book "Theft from the Saracens... How Did Islamic Architecture Shape Europe?"
An answer and evidence that seems shocking to many, as it proves that Islamic civilization has had a great advantage over the Western world.
Diana Dark is an English orientalist who studied Arabic at Oxford University, and spent 3 decades moving between London and Damascus, and has other books and specialized articles.
The book emerged from the ashes of the April 15, 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in the French capital, Paris, the fire that devastated the cathedral and plunged the entire French community into a state of mourning that surprised everyone.
The author of the book asserts that she wondered why the cathedral was called the French identity, even though most of the elements included in that cathedral came to France from the Islamic world.
She also says that what gives importance to her book is the self-defeating European mentality, in addition to the prevailing strong hostility to Muslim immigrants, noting that its goal is not to degrade European architecture and its achievements, but rather to prove that "no one owns architecture, just as no one has knowledge." .
Diana Darke adds that one of the reasons that prompted her to write the book is that she has discovered, in recent years, some Islamophobia, as many European governments and countries seek to obliterate any connection with the Islamic world.
Muslims are a source of inspiration
An episode of “Out of the Text” program (02/01/2022) presented a reading of the book “Theft from the Saracens.. How Did Islamic Architecture Shape Europe?”, with the help of architects and writers, most notably the architect and researcher Raed Arnaout, who said that the book is his It is important because it covers an important period in which communication took place between the West and the East and the transition of architecture between these two civilizations, indicating that the book has a historical and research depth.
As for the British journalist and writer Peter Gordon, he believed that the author proved that everything that is considered an icon of European architecture originally passed through the Middle East, and she presented a compelling argument for this, and one of the best examples is the “wobbly arch” that dates back to an early period of the Islamic period, and was seen in Europe Western.
According to the director of the School of Architecture in London, Aaron Betsky, the book does a great service and reminds that much of what is thought of as Western architecture actually comes from the Middle East.
It is stated in the book that “Ecclesiastical architecture throughout Europe was closely associated with the much loved and hoarded Gothic style, but what if this interwoven and closely interconnected style with Catholicism was in fact inspired by Islamic architecture? It would mean that Muslims were the source of inspiration. What Christianity regards as its own architectural form, and that would be a very uncomfortable fact.”
According to the author of the book, the eastern influences on Gothic architecture start from Syria, specifically from its forgotten cities, which are a group of ancient cities and villages that were built in the period between the first and seventh centuries AD.
While the architectural researcher Arnaout objects to the name of the book, arguing that the use of the word “theft” is exaggerated because what happened between East and West was a quote and admiration, the author responds by saying that she chose that title very carefully, and that the word “Saracen” is derived from the word “theft” in Arabic. The paradox is that the West called the Arab Muslims “the thief,” while it was the one who took everything from the Muslims, and therefore the title was deliberate to express a double paradox, as Diana Darke says.