Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation organised a public lecture entitled "ISLAMESQUE: exploring the influence of Islamic culture and craftsmen on European architecture", delivered by Diana Darke, a Middle East cultural historian with special focus on Syria, on Wednesday 16th April 2025.
The lecture is part of Al-Furqan’s series of Lectures on Islamic Heritage.
In his opening remarks, Mr Sharaf Yamani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Furqan Foundation, welcomed the lecturer and attendants. Mr Sali Shahsivari, the Managing Director of Al-Furqan, gave a brief introduction of the lecturer.
During the lecture, the distinguished author explored the influence of Islamic culture and craftsmen on Europe's greatest medieval monuments. Challenging the notion that the Romanesque style was the dominant European architectural style during the twelfth century, the author explored the legacy of the thriving Muslim communities in medieval Europe, arguing that the term "Romanesque" should be replaced by "Islamesque," due to the Islamic architectural character of the most luxurious buildings of that era in the European content.
The lecture was followed by a discussion session, followed by a book signing ceremony.
The title of the lecture is the title of the author's latest book: ISLAMESQUE: Exploring the Influence of Islamic Culture and Craftsmen on European Architecture, which was selected by Daunts as a History and Current Affairs Book of the Year 2024.
Her book Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture shaped Europe (published by Hurst in 2020), received three Book of the Year 2020 awards. The author had delivered a lecture related to this book, titled "How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe", on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at the Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation in London.
Ms. Darke 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. She is a Non-resident Scholar at Washington DC’s Middle East Institute.
