Islamic Influence On Christian Europe

Effect of Islamic economic superiority of medieval world on the Christian Europe: The case of Venice and Egypt

Name:

Institution:

Effect of Islamic economic superiority of medieval world on the Christian Europe: The case of Venice and Egypt

Introduction

Though the Christians and the Muslims were highly opposed to each other in religious principles, the long distance trade established by the Muslims with the Christians resulted in increased economic activity in Europe. Particularly, in the Middle Ages, the Italian ports were not commercial and were largely dormant owing to the fallout of the Roman Empire. Commercial activity in the whole Europe was minimal and it remained an agricultural economy. Since there was a lack of means and technologies for carrying out long-distance trade, maritime trade was restricted to a regional level. The business potential of the Islamic world brought a sea change in the economic scenario of Europe. The establishment of long-distance trade with the Muslim world was a great opportunity for the Italian cities to acquire exotic materials and increase profit. The adventure seeking nature and entrepreneurial ability of the Muslims of the Medieval era led to enhanced commercial activities in the region. The trade in the Christian areas began to thrive owing to their active engagement with the Muslim trading world. Researchers argue that it was the Muslim world’s influence that led to the advancement of many cities in Christian Europe. One example is the Muslim rule in the al-Andalus region that triggered great economic activity which subsequently led to the construction of many cities that served as important outposts of trade (Rosamond, 2002). The Italian cities of Venice and Genoa were some of the pioneers that were the first to establish trading relationships with the Muslim world. This essay describes the economic impact of the Islamic world on Christian Europe with special reference to the city of Venice and its

The paintings in Venice also reflected Islamic influence. The travelling artists brought sketches of the architecture, drawings and people of the Muslim world to Venice which impacted an entire generation of artists in Venice. The Ca’ Dario palace and the Ca’ d’Oro palace best exemplify the influence of Islamic architecture on Venice. The Ca’d’Oro considered as one of the masterpieces of architecture has many elements of Islamism borrowed from the east. The arches that are inflected provide an Islamic touch to the palazzo. Further, the frames of the windows made of stone and marbles have been considered to be inspired from Islamic structures. The liberal presence of the Muslim architecture is dispersed throughout Venice. The St. Mark’s Basilica with its gilt mosaics, cupolas and arches demonstrates the Muslim influence on Venetian architecture. The bell tower of San Pietro Castello’s Basilica also bears resemblances to the Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria. The San Marco is another monument in Venice, rich in embellishments and themes that signify Islam and point towards an origin from Alexandria. There are also other settings like the grills of windows, domes, arches, mosaics and so on that is supposed to be inspired from Islamic structures in the east. Venice also had similarities to the east in its urban structure. The primary markets of Venice and shopping streets have several features in common with the markets present in the Middle Eastern nations of the middle ages (Howard,