| The Evening’s Programme: 5.30 - 6.00 Reception and networking 6.00 - 6.15 Welcoming words 6.15 - 7.15 Keynote lecture by Diana Darke "ISLAMESQUE: exploring the influence of Islamic culture and craftsmen on European architecture" 7.15 - 7.30 Discussion 7.30 Closing of the event Dress code: not applicable Refreshments: from 5.30 to 6.00 pm. Invitation: for you and a guest |
| ISLAMESQUE: exploring the influence of Islamic culture and craftsmen on European architecture By Diana Darke Who built Europe's greatest medieval monuments? The names of the clergy get mentions in history but the identities of the craftsmen are unrecorded. At a time when Latin Christendom lacked such expertise, Muslim craftsmen had advanced knowledge of geometry and ornamentation, which they used in high-end construction in Islamic Spain, Sicily, and North Africa. These craftsmen spread their knowledge and innovative techniques across Western Europe as they worked on new commissions like cathedrals and monasteries for bishops and abbots. Challenging the idea that the Romanesque style was the dominant European architectural style during the twelfth century, the book uncovers the legacy of thriving Muslim communities in medieval Europe and argues that 'Romanesque' should instead be called "Islamesque". Diana Darke is a Middle East cultural historian with special focus on Syria. She holds degrees in Arabic from Oxford University, and in Islamic Art & Architecture from SOAS, London, and has spent over 40 years specialising in the region, working for both government and commercial sectors. Among her publications are the highly acclaimed My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis, The Merchant of Syria and The Ottomans: A Cultural Legacy. Her book Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture shaped Europe (published by Hurst in 2020), received three Book of the Year 2020 awards. Its sister volume, Islamesque, has been selected by Daunts as a History and Current Affairs Book of the Year 2024.She is a Non-resident Scholar at Washington DC’s Middle East Institute, a respected Middle East think-tank. |