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One of Sicily's many mysteries is why a column at the entrance is inscribed with Quranic verses.
Since its initial completion in the 12th century, Palermo Cathedral has seen centuries of additions by successive foreign rulers. A more charitable assessment is that the cathedral, all its dizzying swirl of parapets and spires, belfries and buttresses, is a thrilling Escher-esque monument whose every gaudy adornment holds a key to an era of Sicilian history. Perhaps none of these ornaments is more illustrative of the island’s rich history than the Arabic inscription on the far left column of the cathedral’s entrance.
