ABSTRACT

Visual and material culture is an integral part of the expression of identity and interaction between Christian and Muslim communities in the Middle Ages. It takes many forms, from the use of figural and aniconic religious symbols in churches and mosques to forms employed in diplomacy and war and the accoutrements of everyday life. Mutual propaganda spawned imagery of hostility on both sides during times of conflict, with the consequence that discussion has traditionally centred on the differences between the art associated with the two faiths. But in recent years scholarship has moved towards the connections and relationships between Christians and Muslims rather than their differences, following the tendency to view historical and geographical congruity among the cultures of the Mediterranean (Hoffman 2007a: 1; Ousterhout and Ruggles 2004: 83). This has been broadened to embrace global and multicultural interests and simultaneously narrowed to focus on the art and religious practices of particular communities (Glass 2016).