Norman–Arab–Byzantine culture
The term Norman–Arab–Byzantine culture, Norman–Sicilian culture or, less inclusively, Norman–Arab culture, refers to the interaction of the Norman, Byzantine Greek, Latin, and Arab cultures following the Norman conquest of the former Emirate of Sicily and North Africa from 1061 to around 1250. The civilization resulted from numerous exchanges in the cultural and scientific fields, based on the tolerance shown by the Normans towards the Latin- and Greek-speaking Christian populations and the former Arab Muslim settlers. As a result, Sicily under the Normans became a crossroad for the interaction between the Norman and Latin Catholic, Byzantine–Orthodox, and Arab–Islamic cultures.
Tarì gold coin of Roger II of Sicily, with Arabic inscriptions, minted in Palermo (British Museum)
Byzantine–style mosaic of Christ Pantokrator in the Cefalù Cathedral, erected by Roger II in 1131
The Kingdom of Africa (in Italian: Regno d'Africa) pinpointed in red
Arabic–style fresco in the Cappella Palatina, Palermo.
The Emirate of Sicily or Fatimid Sicily was an Islamic kingdom that ruled the Muslim territories on the island of Sicily between 831 and 1091. Its capital was Palermo, which, during this period, became a major cultural and political center of the Muslim world.
Arab-Norman art and architecture combined Occidental features (such as the Classical pillars and friezes) with typical Arabic decorations and calligraphy.
Arab musicians in Palermo
Aghlabid quarter dinar minted in Sicily, 879
Roger I of Sicily receiving the keys of Palermo