CASTELLO DELLA ZISA - MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART

Zisa comes from the Arabic Al Aziz which means "splendour". This is how this sumptuous Arab-Norman-style palace, erected by William I around 1160 and completed by William II, is described. More than just a palace, it is a three-storey castle with a square appearance, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 2015. This imposing, restored building has a beautiful frieze of arcades on the outside, while on the arch of the entrance door you can read in Naskh calligraphy: "Here is the earthly paradise before your eyes, here is the glorious king, here is the palace of the Aziz". In this luxuriously decorated summer residence, the Norman kings, although Christians, behaved like Arab princes and lived in the oriental style, with many women, attracting the wrath of the Church. The interior, with oriental details such as mashrabiya windows, has a beautiful square room decorated with Arabic mosaics depicting hunting scenes. Another room has a marble fountain. Its air-conditioning system, unique in the West, seems to be inspired by Egyptian techniques, with a water source and canals that cool the ventilated air and irrigate the garden. The audioguide offers interesting insights into this period of collision of Eastern and Western styles and Arab, Norman and Byzantine cultures, as there are few explanations. The museum's collection is rather meagre, on the other hand.