MUSLIM SICILY: Encounters and Legacy

Abstract

Showcases the importance of cultural exchange through an exploration of Sicily’s Arabo-Islamic past: Discusses Sicily as a key Mediterranean political, trade and intellectual centre, and its interaction with the rest of the Muslim world, especially the Fa?imids of Ifriqiya, a process that resulted in knowledge exchange and mutual influences • Produces a better understanding of Sicily’s role as a cultural hub that competed with major intellectual centres of the time, including Qayrawan and al-Andalus, in the transmission of knowledge from East to West • Studies the rich intellectual and artistic legacy of Muslim Sicily in its own right • Explores Muslim-Jewish-Christian interactions in Sicily and highlights the island’s legacy as a place of dialogue and encounter between people from different communities and faith-traditions. The period of Arabo-Islamic domination of parts of Sicily, and the consequent large Muslim presence on the island from 800 to the mid-13th century constitutes a crucial epoch whose influence remains an integral part of the island’s architectural and cultural landscape. This volume builds on existing scholarship and goes beyond the ‘Arabo-Norman’ construct to afford greater recognition to the island’s Arabic and Islamic history. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the chapters examine Sicily’s mercantile, artistic and architectural links to the Muslim world, including the subjects of the Fa?imids of Ifriqiya and their Kalbid allies in Sicily. It also reflects upon the Arabo-Islamic philosophical legacy at the court of Frederick II, Muslim accounts of medieval Sicily, Fa?imid influence on the arts, women’s textile production, discussions of linguistics and literature, and various other aspects of Sicily’s diverse cultural and religious life during this period.