{"title":"Diana Darke","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiana Darke’s works offer a richly textured exploration of the Middle East, blending history, culture, and personal insight. Her books delve into the intricate narratives of ancient empires, art, and the enduring legacies of Islamic civilisation, inviting readers to experience the region’s enduring beauty and complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a keen eye for detail and a storyteller's touch, Darke illuminates historical and cultural landscapes that challenge common perceptions. Her writing is an engaging journey through time and tradition, perfect for those captivated by \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e themes.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"stealing-from-the-saracens-by-diana-darke-9781911723479","title":"Stealing from the Saracens","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEuropeans are in denial. Against a backdrop of Islamophobia, they are increasingly distancing themselves from their cultural debt to the Muslim world. But while the legacy of Islam and the Middle East is in danger of being airbrushed out of Western history, its traces can still be detected in some of Europe's most recognisable monuments, from Notre-Dame to St Paul's Cathedral.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this comprehensively illustrated book, \u003cem\u003eStealing from the Saracens\u003c\/em\u003e, Diana Darke sets out to redress the balance, revealing the Arab and Islamic roots of Europe's architectural heritage. She tracks the transmission of key innovations from the great capitals of Islam's early empires, Damascus and Baghdad, via Muslim Spain and Sicily into Europe. Medieval crusaders, pilgrims, and merchants from Europe later encountered Arab Muslim culture in journeys to the Holy Land. In more recent centuries, that same route through modern-day Turkey connected Ottoman culture with the West, leading Sir Christopher Wren himself to believe that Gothic architecture should more rightly be called 'the Saracen style', because of its Islamic origins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRecovering this overlooked story within the West's long history of borrowing from the Islamic world, Darke sheds new light on Europe's buildings and offers rich insights into the possibilities of cultural exchange.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA New Statesman Book of the Year 2020, chosen by William Dalrymple.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA BBC History Magazine Best Book of 2020.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'An exhilarating, meticulously researched book that sheds light on centuries of borrowing, tracing the roots of Europe's major buildings.'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Another brilliant challenge to Islamophobes everywhere, skilfully telling the architectural counterpart of Moller's tale, and showing how much Gothic architecture drew on the forms and innovations of Arab architects and mathematicians.'\u003c\/strong\u003e William Dalrymple in \u003cem\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'This persuasive study argues that northern Europe's greatest gothic buildings are deeply indebted to the Arab world...[it is] a useful reminder of the interconnectedness of civilisation.'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'[A] fascinating book. Revelatory [and] eye-opening.'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'An extraordinarily ambitious work, part\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003ecri de coeur\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e and part textbook on Islamic architecture and its influence on the West.'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46833491050732,"sku":"9781911723479","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/17989073482868.jpg?v=1758463480"},{"product_id":"the-ottomans-by-diana-darke-9780500252666","title":"The Ottomans","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExquisitely written and lavishly illustrated, this delightful book brings five centuries of Ottoman culture to life. Diana Darke constantly amazes the reader with fascinating facts and points of relevance between the Ottoman past and the present day.\u003c\/b\u003e - Eugene Rogan, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Fall of the Ottomans\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA richly illustrated guide to the Ottoman Empire, 100 years since its dissolution, unravelling its complex cultural legacy and profound impact on Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt its height, the Ottoman Empire spread from Yemen to the gates of Vienna. Western perceptions of the Ottomans have often been distorted by Orientalism, characterising their rule as oppressive and destructive, while seeing their culture as exotic and incomprehensible. Based on a lifetime's experience of living and working across its former provinces, Diana Darke offers a unique overview of the Ottoman Empire's cultural legacy one century after its dissolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe uncovers a vibrant, sophisticated civilisation that embraced both arts and sciences, whilst welcoming refugees from all ethnicities and religions, notably Christians and Jews.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDarke celebrates the culture of the Ottoman Empire, from its aesthetics and architecture to its scientific and medical innovations, including the first vaccinations. She investigates the crucial role that commerce and trade played in supporting the empire and increasing its cultural reach, highlighting the significant role of women, as well as the diverse religious values, literary and musical traditions that proliferated through the empire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeautifully illustrated with manuscripts, miniatures, paintings and photographs, \u003ci\u003eThe Ottomans: A Cultural Legacy\u003c\/i\u003e presents the magnificent achievements of an empire that lasted over 600 years and encompassed Asian, European and African cultures, shedding new light on its complex legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46850345369836,"sku":"9780500252666","price":72.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2347523482366.jpg?v=1759083611"},{"product_id":"the-ottomans-by-diana-darke-9780500298183","title":"The Ottomans","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExquisitely written and lavishly illustrated, this delightful book brings five centuries of Ottoman culture to life. Diana Darke constantly amazes the reader with fascinating facts and points of relevance between the Ottoman past and the present day - Eugene Rogan, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Fall of the Ottomans\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt its height, the Ottoman Empire spread from Yemen to the gates of Vienna. Western perceptions of the Ottomans have often been distorted by Orientalism, characterising their rule as oppressive and destructive, while seeing their culture as exotic and incomprehensible. Based on a lifetime's experience of living and working across its former provinces, Diana Darke offers a unique overview of the Ottoman Empire's cultural legacy one century after its dissolution. She uncovers a vibrant, sophisticated civilisation that embraced both arts and sciences, whilst welcoming refugees from all ethnicities and religions, notably Christians and Jews.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDarke celebrates the culture of the Ottoman Empire, from its aesthetics and architecture to its scientific and medical innovations, including the first vaccinations. She investigates the crucial role that commerce and trade played in supporting the empire and increasing its cultural reach, highlighting the significant role of women, as well as the diverse religious values, literary and musical traditions that proliferated through the empire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Ottomans: A Cultural Legacy\u003c\/i\u003e presents the magnificent achievements of an empire that lasted over 600 years and encompassed Asian, European, and African cultures, shedding new light on its complex legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46850345402604,"sku":"9780500298183","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2802693482366.jpg?v=1759083609"},{"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":78.0,"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.pro\/collections\/diana-darke.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}