Monumental Arabic Inscriptions in Medieval Norman Sicily Multiculturalism vs Transculturalism

Medieval Sicily was the intersection of cultures, religions, and arts. As ancient Italy’s first province and being wealthy and active during the Roman period, Sicily was the epicenter of agriculture, economy, and distant trade. As such, Sicily became the mercantile crossroad of the Muslim world, the Byzantine empire, and Latin Christendom.The cultural milieu of Norman Sicily is created under the influence of three major cultures: Byzantine, Islamic, and Christian, respectively represented by Greek, Arabic, and Latin languages. Nevertheless, a broader study of the history of art and architectural monuments of Norman Sicily has unfolded a more complex environment, where the three cultures not only interact, but also merge.Not fitting into conventional art-historical boundaries, disciplines, and classifications, the hybrid nature of artworks offers new viewpoints in the investigation of art, history, architecture, religion, even economy in Norman Sicily.This study revolves around Islamic monumental inscriptions in Norman Sicily as an indication of this transculturalism and with a focus on Arabic inscriptions in the Palatine Chapel or Cappella Palatina and how they speak to other artifacts bearing Arabic inscriptions, along with the texts’ content and application.

Keywords:

Cappella Palatina , Islamic art , medieval Arabic inscriptions , medieval Italy , medieval Sicily , monumental inscriptions , Norman Sicily , Roger II