sicily

In the center of the Mediterranean Sea, there is an island known as Sicily. This Island is a beautiful and fertile land with a mild Mediterranean climate. It is located at the intersection of two continents, Europe and Africa, and is the nearest connecting route between these two continents after the Strait of Gibraltar. This geographical location has made Sicily the target of many attacks and invasions throughout history. Muslims were one of these groups that attacked this Island many times. The present study, through descriptive-analytical method, tried to answer this question: what was the history of the Muslim conquest of Sicily and what cultural and civilizational achievements did they have during their domination there over the centuries? Research shows that the Muslim ruling dynasties on the Island flourished and expanded Islamic culture and civilization. The effects of this prosperity, especially in the form of art and architecture, continued even after the collapse of Islamic governments and during the Christian Norman era. Some Normans were tolerant towards Muslims and this made the effects of Islamic culture and civilization on the Island still noticeable.

The conquest of Sicily in the early third century (AH) was a valuable achievement for the Islamic world. A group of Iranians from that time in the form of "Khorasani Corps" under the command of Asad ibn al-Furat Neyshabouri, along with other Muslims entered Sicily and took an active part in the political, social and cultural developments of the region. The present study examines the how of the Iranians presence in Sicily and explains their place and status in the history and civilization of Sicily in the Islamic period. According to the available sources, it seems that Iranians were involved in some of the political events of Sicily in the Islamic period and in the field of Islamic civilization had spread all kinds of Islamic-Iranian sciences, industries, architecture and fine arts in Sicily. These achievements of civilization were transferred to Italy and then to Europe during the Norman period.