france and muslims

Arab America contributing writer, Menal Elmaliki talks about France’s most famous architectural masterpiece. It is one of Europe’s finest gothic cathedrals and was first built in 1163 and was finished in 1345. Menal dives deep into the theme of gothicism and the Arab influence of its design and Arab roots. Parts of the building, the twin towers and the rose window were copied from the architectural design of a Syrian church in Qalb Loze. Some historians trace the design to the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo.