Europeans owe some of their best designs used in architecture to the Saracens.
From the Arab tribes in Asia to the Moors in Spain, ancient ruins uncover some of the finest Saracenic architecture in history. And some are best preserved.
Like the Arab Baths in Girona, Spain.
I got to see the public baths firsthand which date back to 1194. From outside, a small dome peeks above the stone building, somewhat trying to lure the light. And as you'd expect, the light succumbs inside it. Who wouldn’t? The Saracens are lovers of geometry — simple and symmetric. Even light would fall and chase darkness for it.
I sat down and observed how those long sturdy pillars bring the beauty of the play between light and darkness. It’s a simple balance. Yet too much of either spectrum would make one blind. Especially with our ingrained notions of light and darkness as inherently good and evil, that is.
Can light exist without darkness? Is there any darkness without light?
A very polarizing binary. Ironic.
