LAHORE: Day two of the Afkar-e-Taza ThinkFest started with the book talk by author Diana Darke on her new book, ‘Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe,’ in conversation with architect Raza Al Dada.
According to a press release, Darke started by pointing out that her title was a bit mischievous: ‘Saracens means those who steal, and so the book is about stealing from those the West called thieves in the first place’ she said. She then exclaimed that there is a lot and misinformation and confusion regarding the architectural styles which rose to prominence in the Middle Ages in Europe. She showed slides of early Christian churches where their architectural designs were transmitted to the West through the Islamic world, an example of which was the St. Simeon Basilica in northern Syria.
Darke then talked about the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and reminded the audience that it was initially a church, which was then shared between Christians and Muslims after the Islamic conquest, and that only later did it purely become a mosque. ‘However, what is interesting to note is the blended style used in the mosque, which shows its mixed heritage,’ she said. ‘There were certainly lots of Byzantine craftsmen used by the Umayyad’s since they were the best available at that time,’ she underscored.
The second session at the ThinkFest was on the new book by Prof Anjuli Raza Kolb from University of Toronto, Epidemic Empire, who was in conversation with Prof Azra Raza from Columbia University. The talk focused on how poetry and metaphor inform public health. Speaking on her book ‘The First Cell’ Prof Azra Raza talked about how the stories of her patients made her think about her own self.