Islamesque: Diana Darke in conversation with Andrew Ziminski

Join Diana Darke for a discussion about her new book, Islamesque: The Forgotten Craftsmen Who Built Europe’s Medieval Monuments at Daunt Books Marylebone.

Joining the conversation is Andrew Ziminksi, who has just published Church Going: A Stonemason’s Guide to the Churches of the British Isles. This fascinating talk will delve into both books, exploring how we can see ‘the hand of Islam’ in churches all over the country and explore the origins of medieval church architecture. Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason, church conservator and author. He has four decades of experience working on some of the greatest cathedrals and churches in Britain, including the tower of Salisbury Cathedral and the dome of St Paul’s.

Ticket price includes a glass of wine or a soft drink.

About the book

Who 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.

This 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.

At 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: Islamesque.

About the author

Diana Darke has spent four decades in the Middle East. Her books include Islamesque and Stealing from the Saracens (both published by Hurst), My House in Damascus and The Ottomans. A non-resident scholar at Washington DC’s Middle East Institute, she holds degrees in Arabic and in Islamic Art and Architecture.