Islamic Elements in the Architecture of Puglia

Puglia is one of the most extraordinary parts of Italy. Inhabited for over 8,000 years, this region has experienced almost every type of civilization known to the European world. Little has been written in English about the surviving Neolithic and aboriginal Italic remains of Puglia, its rich architectural heritage of Greek, Roman, Early Christian, Byzantine, Angevin French, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and even its modern monuments. This book focuses on the important Islamic contribution to the architecture of Puglia, a contribution that was centered in the once Muslim city of Lucera and subsequently came to be of significance for the building of Christian cathedrals and churches in this beautiful region, little known to the outside world.?

Lucera exemplifies all the periods of architecture noted above, and is, in addition, unique because it was a protected Muslim island in a sea of Christianity during the High Middle Ages - at the very time Christians were conducting crusades against the infidel. Thus the individuality of the place stands alone, among the many ancient cities of Puglia, because it was once a Muslim world. This book shows how Lucera had always been an important center in ancient times and how it came to be an Islamic city. It spotlights the accomplishments of the Muslims, and the influence they left - despite the brutal extermination they endured in the early 14th century - on the architecture of Lucera and other cities in north and central Puglia, including such important centers as Troia, Trani, Bitonto, Canosa, Altamura, Gravina, Giovinazzo, Terlizzi, Pietramontecorvino, Bisceglie, Ruvo, Castel del Monte, Molfetta, Bovino, San Severo, and Foggia. Thus the seventeen towns and cities whose architecture is studied and illustrated in this volume serve to highlight the Islamic legacy in Puglia, a part of Italy which is known - and revered by those who know - for its archaeological, classical, and Romanesque relics.