Technically as human beings, we tend to adapt or copy from each other. In this regard, there are a few influences made by Islam in the western world, as there are influences made by the western world on Islam. Stretching as far back as the 7th century all the way to the 19th century, the western world and Islam had cultural exchanges through their relationships. Christians and Muslims cohabited and traded their cultural practices that can be seen even in the present day.
In the middle ages, it was a common sight to find Islamic decorative arts especially in churches since they were highly valued. In addition, textiles and Islamic potter were also imported to European countries. Since the decorations on the pottery were mainly of hunting scenes and ornamental in type, plus the inscriptions were not understood by the European Christians, this meant that their sensibilities were not offended. These decorative items were imported to Europe through Italy, Sicily, and the Iberian peninsula which happened to be dominated by a significant number of the Muslim population in the early ages.
It is safe to say that the Islamic society influenced a big portion of the western art. Church buildings in Sicily incorporated Islamic art in their designs(an example of such a Christian building is the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, Sicily) whose ceiling tends towards the Islamic design in that it reflects the Stalactite technique that emphasizes the three dimensional elements.
Oriental carpets also played a big role in the western art, since they were used as important decorative features in paintings. These oriental carpets either crossed over to the west from the Levant or the Mamluk state of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire or Northern Africa dating back to the 13th century onwards.
We have heard of the Greek and Romans’ influence on the western world, but unfortunately, rarely is the Islamic world attributed to influencing the western world. This can be put down to the troubles faced by the Islamic nations, more so in the Middle East. Regardless of this fact, the Islamic world did in fact influence the western world a great deal, not only in terms of Art, but also in medicine, literature and philosophy.
The Islamic world greatly excelled in medicine, thereby influencing the west with its discoveries. This is because Islamic medicine was more practical in nature as opposed of that of their counterparts. Islam relied on experiments and observations, and focused on hygienic and dietary habits. Muslim physicians, more so Muhammad al-Razi made the first distinction between smallpox and measles, and his findings and writings were translated and taught in western schools all the way to the 19th century.
In terms of philosophy, Islam influenced the western world by revealing to them that it was not all barbarism and darkness outside the catholic church, but rather a whole wide wealth of knowledge. In addition, according to Rachida El Diwani who is a professor of comparative literature as Alexandria University, the humanistic movement in the west was initiated by the Muslim philosophy.
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