Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
12 December 2024 | 14:30 CAT
5 min read

Notre Dame, a symbol of France’s cultural and spiritual heritage, reopened its doors, showcasing its restored glory after the devastating 2019 fire. Yet, beyond its stunning facade lies a story of centuries-old collaboration and influence between Latin Christendom and the Islamic world, a legacy often overlooked. Author and Middle East cultural writer Diana Darke reminds the world of the profound influence Islamic craftsmanship had on shaping Europe’s architectural legacy.

From ground-breaking engineering innovations to intricate decorative motifs, Muslim artisans were instrumental in the creation of iconic monuments like Notre Dame. “Well, when most people look at Notre Dame, they don’t see the Islamic influences until it’s pointed out, and then it becomes kind of obvious,” said Darke.

Darke told Radio Islam that her extensive experience living and working in the Middle East, particularly while restoring a house in the old city of Damascus in the early 2000s, deepened her appreciation for Islamic architecture. “Through this, I could clearly see the architectural connections between Islamic traditions and the great cathedrals of Europe,” she said. This hands-on experience led her to pursue an academic study of the subject, earning an MA to explore the connections in greater depth.

“So when Notre Dame caught fire back in April 2019, and all this cry went up about the French national identity going up in flames, I thought, my goodness, don’t people realise that all these elements that people are calling ‘Gothic’ actually came in from the Middle East,” she remarked. Darke explained that the architectural feature of the twin towers flanking a monumental entrance dates back to the early Christian period, with the first example found in Kalb Lauzeh, an early Christian church in present-day Idlib, Syria. This church was on the pilgrimage route to Saint Simeon’s Basilica in the 5th and 6th centuries. After the Muslim conquest of Syria, this design was adopted by the Omayyad caliphate and incorporated into their palaces, making it a lasting architectural hallmark that was passed from Christians to Muslims.

Darke also highlighted the early use of other key architectural elements, such as the road, which was first found in the Omayyad Palace of Hisham’s Palace (Khirbat al Mafjar) in the 8th century near Jericho. Additionally, the trefoil arch and pointed arch, first seen in the Dome of the Rock in Jordan, were also pivotal in influencing European architecture. These features spread to Europe via Muslim Spain and Sicily, which were under Arab rule for many centuries. “When power passed to the new Christian rulers, the top craftsmen from the Muslim world who dominated the construction industry came to work for new Christian masters. And so they brought this new technology and new decorative styles into gothic cathedrals,” she said.

Darke explained that Islamic architecture, particularly from the height of Muslim Spain and Sicily (8th–11th centuries), had a profound influence on European architecture, including cathedrals like Notre Dame. The Muslims brought advanced engineering skills, especially in geometry and algebra, which led to innovations like ribbed vaulting. The first ribbed vaults in Europe were in the 10th-century Mesquita in Cordova, Spain, and their precision astonished modern engineers. Similarly, when the Muslims took control of Syria, they employed Christian craftsmen for their skills, such as in the mosaics of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, showing how rulers sought the best expertise from various cultures.

She highlighted the pivotal role of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, particularly through the “House of Wisdom,” where Caliph Harun al-Rashid invited scholars from all over. This made the Muslim world a leading center for science, arts, and education. “The Muslim world, at that time, was way ahead, and mosques all had schools attached. So, people were literate in a way that they were not in Europe,” she said. In Muslim Spain, every mosque had a madrasah (school) that taught not only the Quran but also essential skills like reading, writing, and mathematics, making it a hub of advanced knowledge.

She pointed out that Christopher Wren, the renowned British architect behind St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, made a crucial observation over 300 years ago. Wren argued that the Gothic style, often associated with European medieval architecture, should more accurately be called the “Saracen style.” The term “Saracen” was a 17th-century reference to Arab Muslims, and Wren recognised the significant influence of Islamic architecture on the Gothic style long before the connections became widely acknowledged.

Darke explained how architectural styles change with fashion. Gothic architecture, which was once the height of medieval trends, became highly competitive as bishops vied to build the tallest and grandest cathedrals. However, this led to overreach, with structures like the Beauvais Cathedral collapsing because they were too ambitious, even with flying buttresses. Eventually, the Gothic style fell out of favour, and there was a resurgence of classicism, where symmetry and designs reminiscent of Greek temples became the ideal. “It’s the style, of course, that modelled the White House and the Capitol dome, except that you’ve got a wonderful irony in that in Washington DC, the Capitol dome actually uses what Wren called Saracen vaulting. So that’s a sort of double-double dome. So the heart of American democracy is using Islamic vaulting,” she added.

She pointed out that Gothic architecture made a strong comeback in the 19th century with the Neo-Gothic revival. “All of these things move with the times and reflect the moods and the fashions of the times in a very, very interesting way. I learned so much from reading a building; once you train your eye to recognise the different elements that are part of it. And buildings don’t lie. They’re a testament. They can’t be doctored like, like history can,” she remarked.

In her book Islamesque, Diana Darke challenges the term “Romanesque,” arguing that the style has little to do with Rome. She emphasises the significant influence of Islamic architecture on European design. “All of these elements came in from the Islamic world. So if you’re going to call it anything, you might as well call it Islamesque,” she said.

The importance of preserving historical monuments lies in the opportunity they provide to understand how they were built, despite the lack of master plans or knowledge of the architects. “But my argument is at that time, at that age, it could only have been Muslims or people trained in the Islamic tradition, as I call it because nobody else had those skills at that time,” she said.

Darke noted one fascinating discovery at Notre Dame was the use of metal tie rods at the top of the walls, likely contributing to the cathedral’s survival during the fire. The advanced metallurgy required for such an innovation was a skill possessed primarily by Muslim Spain, where iron mines were revived under Muslim rule after being abandoned by the Visigoths. Wealthy monasteries financed construction and mining operations, often paying taxes on iron ore. This highlights the significant influence of Islamic metallurgy on European architecture during that period. “It all ties in; it’s fascinating to look into these buildings and see what lies behind them. They’re like huge jigsaw puzzles that you can start to take apart and see how it all was done,” she added.

She suggests that we are a civilisation built on the contributions of others, and we should recognise and celebrate that. Notre Dame, for example, shouldn’t be seen as just a French possession. While the French should be proud of it, they should also acknowledge the skills that came from beyond France. This enriches all of our cultures.

Darke emphasised that she writes her books to show how interdependent everything is and how much we owe to other cultures, “Cultures that, especially in Europe right now, we might even demonize,” she said. Darke highlights that we should celebrate multiculturalism, not fear it.

LISTEN to the full interview with Muallimah Annisa Essack and Diana Darke, Author, Middle East cultural writer, and Arabist, here.