New book reveals Islamic roots of Europe’s Romanesque architecture
Diana Darke traces Muslim influences behind iconic medieval cathedrals across Europe, calling them 'Islamesque'
LONDON (MNTV) — A new book by historian Diana Darke challenges long-held assumptions about medieval European architecture, arguing that the Romanesque style — often seen as the cultural heir of ancient Rome — owes much of its design and artistry to the Islamic world.
In Islamesque, the sequel to her acclaimed Stealing from the Saracens, Darke traces the roots of Romanesque architecture to Fatimid Egypt, Umayyad Spain, and Norman Sicily. These regions, rich in Islamic design and craftsmanship, became key channels through which Muslim styles entered Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries.
From the zigzag arches of Durham Cathedral to the carved foliage and ribbed vaults of Canterbury and Cluny, Darke shows how motifs now thought of as “Norman” or “Romanesque” were in fact first seen in Islamic buildings — sometimes centuries earlier. The zigzag pattern, for example, appears in Fatimid-era Cairo and was brought to Europe through Norman campaigns in Sicily.
At the heart of the book is Sicily’s Norman court under King Roger II, which employed Muslim craftsmen and adopted Fatimid and Arab techniques in palaces and churches.
These same styles spread into France, England, and beyond via trade, war, pilgrimage, and ecclesiastical ties — such as those between northern Italy and post-Conquest England.
Darke also highlights cases like Neath Abbey in Wales, reportedly built by a Muslim mason named Lalys brought from Jerusalem in the 12th century. Though records of individual artisans are scarce, the consistency of decorative patterns across distant sites points to the movement of skilled craftsmen and shared techniques.
With over 300 illustrations and meticulous research, Islamesque urges a rethinking of European architectural history.
“Buildings are real,” Darke writes. “They are the visible proof of cultural exchange that textbooks too often ignore.”
Far from being isolated or purely European, she argues, the Romanesque style was shaped by centuries of Islamic creativity — making it, in essence, “Islamesque.”
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