The Center for Islamic Civilization Studies, affiliated with the Academic Research Sector of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina has published the 9th issue of Arab Memory journal. This publication features a special isuue devoted to the heritage of Islamic civilization in the islands of the western Mediterranean, drawing on selected papers presented at the international conference entitled “Mediterranean Islands in Ancient and Medieval History (Influence and Effect)”, held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on 18–19 October 2023.
The conference was organized by the Center for Islamic Civilization Studies in cooperation with the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies and the Alexandria and Mediterranean Civilization Studies Center, all under the Academic Research Sector of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
The research topics include: the island of Sicily as depicted in the writings of Muslim travelers and geographers; the Sicilian city of Messina in the medieval period (its role and civilizational impact); manifestations of cultural heritage in Sicily in the poetry of Ibn Ḥamdīs al-Ṣiqillī; the civilizational impact of water resources in Islamic Mallorca (Mayurqa); an artistic study of selected examples of jewelry production in Mallorca; Archimedes’ Book on the Heptagon and its reception by skilled Muslim engineers; the influence of Mamluk-era Egyptian and Syrian arts on Venetian arts (with glass artifacts as a case study); and Islamic artistic influences on Norman architecture in Sicily.