Waterhouse, Percy Leslie: The story of architecture throughout the ages: an introduction to the study of the oldest of the arts for students and general readers (London: B. T. Batsford, 1924)

V
SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE
We have seen that Christianity in its early days
had little influence upon architecture, and that
it did little towards asserting itself in this
direction during the first 300 years of its exist-
ence. Far different was it with respect to a
new religious movement which sprang up while
the Byzantine empire was at the height of its
power, in the sixth century of the Christian era
—a movement which rapidly infected the East,
sweeping over whole countries with an irresist-
ible tide, and at once leaving its impress upon
every phase of art.
Mohammed, the leader of the new faith, lived
from A.D. 570—652. So sudden was the growth
of his influence that within a century after his
death he was acknowledged as the Prophet of
God in Arabia, Egypt and Syria, in Persia, in
India as far as the Ganges, along the north of
Africa, and in Spain. Under these circum-
stances the Mohammedan, or, as it is more
generally called, the Saracenic, a new archi-
tectural style, grew up, differing widely from
the contemporary Christian architecture, and
differing also in each of the various countries
in which it prevailed.
The Arabs, who were the banner-bearers of
the new Prophet, were a nomad and warlike

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