Patricia Lesley Baker is a graduate of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. A specialist in Islamic history, art and architecture, she lectures in British universities, did research for television programs on the arts of Islam and was a consultant for London's World of Islam Festival in 1976.

From the battlefields of the American Civil War he went on to Egypt, and in the service of the Khedive, tried to cross Lake Victoria, successfully explored the Nile and discovered Lake Kioga.

Near Hyde Park in 19th-century London, Lord Leighton's Arab Hall, a lavish collection of lavish Eastern art, was the architectural sensation of the age.

To the famous Ibn Jubair, Sicily was a total surprise: despite 100 years of Christian rule, he found its Muslim heritage alive and flourishing.