Cultura e tradizione fatimide e ziride nell’architettura normanna di Sicilia (X-XII secolo). Bilancio storiografico e prospettive di ricerca

This study focuses on the fatimid and zirid architectural tradition in Sicily, in order to thoroughly investigate the contribution of the Muslim civilization to the foundation of the artistic and architectural history of the island. In this regard, it is worth noting that the monuments built by the Norman rulers are still the only examples that are in a good state of preservation and that make it possible to establish to some extent the contribution of the Islamic heritage to Sicilian architecture. It is only through in-depth analysis of the historical, architectural and artistic events of the monuments of Norman Sicily, that it has been possible to reasonably postulate a series of new hypotheses in order to research the elements derived from the Norman architectural tradition not only in northern European military architecture but also in the nearest North African architecture. By doing so, it was possible to clearly define the dynamics linked to the contribution of Arab-Islamic culture to civil construction in Sicily.