Proceedings of the International Conference on Islamic Civilisation in the Mediterranean: Nicosia, 1

A congress was organized jointly by IRCICA and Near East University, Nicosia (Northern Cyprus), on the theme “Islamic Civilization around the Mediterranean”, in December 2010.Papers contributedby scholars andresearchers from all continents aroundthe Mediterranean glimpsedat life in the region atdifferent timeperiods with focuseson Muslims’presence andparticipation in the variousprocesses includingthedevelopmentof cities, art and architecture, science and education, governance and administrative practices. Islam, unlike Christianity and Judaism, was not born in the vicinity of the Mediterranean but reached it by mid-7th century. Then within its first century Islam spread in the southern, eastern and western shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In later centuries, commercial and cultural exchanges between Muslimson one handandEuropeanson theothergrew uninterruptedly,at timesof conflict (such as theCrusades)as wellasofpeace.This contributedto enriching the cultural diversities of the civilizations that evolved around the Mediterranean. The bouquet of good quality studies contained in the book reflects the scope and depth of this multicultural legacy and its Islamic component that is diffused throughout the region.