The Monumentalization of Water in Antiquity, Islam and the Renaissance

We cordially invite you to the upcoming international conference “The Monumentalization of Water in Antiquity, Islam and the Renaissance”.

Water plays a central role in Islamic palace and garden architecture, serving not only functional purposes but also as a meaningful design element. A similar use of water can be seen both in Roman and Persian antiquity as well as later in many Renaissance gardens. The conference will bring together experts from different fields to explore the extent to which Islamic traditions in monumentalizing water may have served as an underestimated link between antiquity and the Renaissance.

Organized by Felix Arnold (DAI Madrid) and Julio Navarro Palazón (Escuela de Estudios Árabes, CSIC), together with Sabine Frommel (École Pratique des Hautes Études-PSL, Paris), the two-part conference will take place on September 29-October 1 at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence and on October 6-8, 2025 at the Escuela de Estudios Árabes in Granada.