{"product_id":"islamesque-by-diana-darke-9781805260974","title":"Islamesque","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho really built Europe's finest Romanesque monuments? Clergymen presiding over holy sites are credited throughout history, while highly skilled creators remain anonymous. But the buildings speak for themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis groundbreaking book explores the evidence embedded in medieval monasteries, churches and castles, from Mont Saint-Michel and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to Durham Cathedral and the Basilica of Santiago de Compostela. Tracing the origins of key design innovations from this pre-Gothic period—acknowledged as the essential foundation of all future European construction styles—Diana Darke sheds startling new light on the masons, carpenters and sculptors behind these masterpieces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt a time when Christendom lacked such expertise, Muslim craftsmen had advanced understanding of geometry and complex ornamentation. They dominated high-end construction in Islamic Spain, Sicily and North Africa, spreading knowledge and techniques across Western Europe. Challenging Euro-centric assumptions, Darke uncovers the profound influence of the Islamic world in 'Christian' Europe, and argues that Romanesque architecture, a nineteenth-century art historians' fiction, should be recognised for what it truly is: \u003cem\u003eIslamesque\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47486136778988,"sku":"9781805260974","price":57.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/c01a0758e00769f3d5d150f1b40a1664.jpg?v=1775780272","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/islamesque-by-diana-darke-9781805260974","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}