Book, Discovery of Europe by Islam, A[LS]

Reversing the traditional focus that takes Western knowledge as a starting point, Professor Bernard Lewis, one of the most respected experts on Islamic history in the world, examines, in The Discovery of Europe by Islam, the sources and foundations of Islamic knowledge in the West . His in-depth and comprehensive study explores the subtle paths of mutual influence between Islam and Europe over many centuries, recounting events that marked their encounters and conflicts, such as the battle of Tours, the Crusades, the battle of Lepanto and the siege of Vienna, seen from the perspective of Muslims. Citing works by scholars, travelers and Islamic writers, the author reconstructs their reactions to the West, their impressions on ways of thinking, political-legislative systems, religion, culture, arts, customs, hygiene and even the profile of women in infidel societies. . The panel painted in this way opens to the reader not only an objective and documented vision of the dominant mentality in the Islamic milieu, but also of the impact and fascination it registers with the contact, sometimes explosive, with the restless and already highly dynamic culture of post-Renaissance Europeans. .