Eredità islamica nell’architettura palaziale della Sicilia normanna tra l’XI e il XII secolo

Abstract

Courtly architecture as an image of power, built between the 10th and 12th centuries on both shores of the Mediterranean, was
erected by Fatimid, Zyrid and Norman rulers to flaunt authority and absolute dominion over the land. The buildings of the
Fatimid caliphs have almost completely disappeared and the archaeological remains do not allow the main features to be defined
in detail. However, some Zyrid and Hammadite palatial architecture is relatively well known and shows typological similarities
with some Norman palaces in Sicily. It is likely that the design matrices of the residences in central Maghreb and Sicily are
comparable to the Fatimid palaces that generated the later models. Our study analyses the characteristics of the Fatimid and
Ziri architectural traditions in Sicily in order to thoroughly investigate the contribution of Muslim civilisation to the foundation
of the island’s artistic and architectural history. The research sheds light on the morphological aspects of Sicilian royal residences,
allowing a series of hypotheses to be advanced that orient the Norman architectural tradition towards both North
European military architecture and North African palatial architecture. In this way, it was possible to clearly define the dynamics
linked to the contribution of Arab-Islamic culture to civil construction in Sicily.

Keywords : Mediterranean, Arab-Norman architecture, Sicily, North Africa, Islamic architecture..