From the Notre-Dame Cathedral and St. Mark’s to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, they all symbolize the Western world. However, according to Diana Darke’s new book, the Gothic architecture might not be as European as we think.
Diana Darke is an expert in Arab culture who has lived and worked in the Middle East for over thirty years. She is the author of books such as “The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival” and “My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis.”
Diana Darke is making waves in Europe with her new book, “Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe.” The term “Saracen” refers to Muslims, still used widely in the West.
This beautifully illustrated book uncovers the Arab and Islamic roots of Europe’s architectural heritage. Diana Darke traces ideas and styles from dynamic Middle Eastern centers like Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo, through Muslim Spain, Venice, and Sicily to Europe. She describes how medieval crusaders, pilgrims, and traders encountered Arab Muslim culture on their way to the Holy Land; and explores the more recent artistic interactions between Ottoman and Western cultures, including the influence of “Saracen” Gothic architecture on Sir Christopher Wren’s style.
By reclaiming the history of this long-overlooked “borrowed” architecture, “Stealing from the Saracens” tells a rich story of cultural exchange, shedding new light on Europe’s greatest landmarks.
The Guardian calls it “a delightful book, carefully researched, highlighting centuries of borrowing, tracing the roots of Europe’s great buildings.”
“A brilliant challenge to Islamophobes everywhere, cleverly telling the equivalent architectural story of Moller, and showing how much Gothic architecture drew on Arab architects and mathematicians,” says William Dalrymple in The Spectator (Book of the Year 2020).
The Observer honestly states, “This convincing study argues that the greatest gothic buildings of northern Europe owe much to the Arab world... [it’s] a useful reminder of the interconnectedness of civilizations.”
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times describes the Quran as an astonishing book. “It’s really a book of the enlightened.”
“A work of great ambition, part ‘cri de coeur’ and part textbook on Islamic architecture and its influence on the West,” says the Times Literary Supplement.
Diana Darke discusses “Stealing from the Saracens” and the influence of Islamic architecture on European cathedrals, palaces, and monuments.
“Diana Darke writes about Syria and its cultural heritage with love, clarity, and authority,” says Sir Michael Palin.
Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury, offers an objective view of the past and tries to find solutions for the future. “As taught, this beautifully illustrated book shows how our culture—including our religious culture—interacts and engages in ways that challenge all kinds of assumptions we might make about our history. By studying the past, Darke asks important questions about the possibility of shared and humane civilization in the future,” he says.
Venetia Porter, Curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art at the British Museum, states, “In this original and striking book, Darke takes us on a journey of discovery. From the churches of ‘Dead City’ Syria to Notre-Dame de Paris, she guides us while sharing her passion for the connection between Middle Eastern and European cultures.”
Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at SOAS University of London, says, “Lively and provocative, this book takes us from Christopher Wren through exploring how ideas from the Islamic Middle East profoundly affected Western European architecture. Darke’s enthusiasm and love for all things Syrian shine through on every page. A great read for anyone seeking an alternative perspective.”
Faisal Devji, Professor of Indian History at the University of Oxford, comments, “This is a fascinating account of how architectural techniques, ideas, and aesthetics were actively and explicitly shared among people, regardless of whether they were friends or foes. Darke’s book reveals much that is surprising about the European architectural canon, telling us how human relationships inevitably divide and forget only in shared danger.”
