Wander in Palermo: A Cultural Map of Arab Legacies
What if the soul of Palermo lies not just in its cathedrals or cannoli, but in the traces of an Arab past that still breathe into the city’s pulse?
Sense of Wander: ★★★★★
The tomato-red domes of San Cataldo lend an Arab touch to the silhouette of Palermo’s skyline.
PALERMO, Sicily — Palermo is a city that doesn’t just preserve history — it breathes it. Beneath its sunlit domes and timeworn alleyways lies the imprint of a bygone empire: the Arab emirate that ruled Sicily for over two centuries.
In Wander in Sicily: In the Footsteps of the Arabs, I set out to follow the footsteps of those who crossed the Mediterranean from North Africa in 827 — a voyage that forever altered the island’s destiny. Though often overshadowed by more dominant narratives, their legacy still pulses through Palermo’s architecture, language, cuisine, and daily rituals.
Most travellers turn to UNESCO’s Arab-Norman itinerary to have a better understanding of this past. But I’ve often felt that it only scratches the surface. So I’ve put together this guide for cultural wanderers who long to look deeper — beyond the Instagrammable domes and golden mosaics — to uncover the layers of history and influence that have shaped Palermo over the centuries.
From palaces adorned by Arab craftsmen to churches echoing Islamic aesthetics, from lively market rooted in souq tradition to once-grand city quarters of power — this is your map to discovering Palermo’s Arab legacy. I hope you find wonder, as I did, in the spaces where cultures once met — not in conflict, but in harmony. I hope you’ll enjoy ;)
Royal Patronage & Power
1.1 Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace) and the Cappella Palatina
1.2 Castello della Zisa (Zisa Palace)
1.3 Torre dello Scrigno (Scrigno Tower)Sacred Footprints
2.1 Cattedrale di Palermo (Palermo Cathedral)
2.2 Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti
2.3 Chiesa di San CataldoEveryday Life & Living Legacies
3.1 Kalsa District
3.2 Mercato di Ballarò (Ballarò Market)
3.3 Palazzo Abatellis (Regional Gallery of Sicily)
1. Royal Patronage & Power
1.1 Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace) and the Cappella Palatina
Muqarnas ceiling inside Cappella Palatina.
Start your journey at the Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace), where layers of history run deep. Before the arrival of the Normans in the 11th century, this very site was the residence of Arab emirs during the Emirate of Sicily (831–1072). Strategically perched above the old city, its location speaks to its original purpose: a seat of power designed with intention and foresight.
Today, remnants of this layered past are visible in the palace’s architecture — and even more vividly in its underground permanent exhibition, where stories of Palermo’s shifting rulers unfold beneath your feet.
On the upper floor, a humble wooden door leads you into the Cappella Palatina, commissioned by King Roger II (reigned 1130-1154). Though Christian in purpose, the chapel’s soul is unmistakably a fusion of cultures.
Step into its nave, and you’ll feel history brushing against the walls — a quiet echo of the many hands, beliefs, and visions that shaped it. Above you, a ceiling of muqarnas — honeycomb-like vaulting — shimmers with Arab artistry. Look closer, and you’ll find scenes of courtly life, myth, and cosmology — rare insights into the worldview of a bygone era.
The interplay between Egyptian woodcarvers, Byzantine mosaicists, and Norman patrons in this singular space serves as a powerful reminder: that once upon a time, power wasn’t expressed through conquest alone — but through cultural collaboration and patronage.
✧ To dive deeper into the arts and crafts found within the chapel, read Wander in Palermo: Cappella Palatina
1.2 Castello della Zisa (Zisa Palace)
Castello della Zisa is now home to the Museum of Islamic Art.
If you’re eager to explore beyond Arab Palermo’s power centre, hop in a taxi and make your way to Castello della Zisa (Zisa Palace), a 12th-century summer retreat built by the Norman kings — but with unmistakable Arab influence.
Its very name, al-Aziz in Arabic, means “The Splendid One.” And splendid it is. From its arched porticoes and cooling water features to the geometric harmony of its design, every element whispers of Islamic architectural logic. In the Fountain Room, you can almost hear the trickling of water and feel the breeze once funneled through these halls — designed for comfort as much as beauty.
The palace’s upper floors house the Museum of Islamic Art. Inside, you’ll find glass vessels shimmering with iridescence, painted ceramic shards, and carved wooden screens commonly known as mashrabiya. These artefacts breathe life into a chapter of history often left unspoken.
Oh, don’t miss the museum’s highlight: the Tombstone of Anna — inscribed in four languages (Latin, Greek, Arabic, and Judeo-Arabic). It stands as a quiet yet powerful testament to Sicily’s multicultural heritage.
✧ To explore this place further, read Wander in Palermo: Castello della Zisa
1.3 Torre dello Scrigno (Scrigno Tower)
12th-century Torre dello Scrigno now stands within Palazzo Conte Federico.
A lesser-known gem on this journey is the Torre dello Scrigno (Scrigno Tower) — a medieval tower that once formed part of Palermo’s city walls during Arab rule. Unlike the grand palaces, this humble structure doesn’t dazzle at first sight; its importance lies in what it represents: the military strength and urban planning ingenuity of a city once under Arab control.
The tower was part of the fortifications protecting Kalsa, Palermo’s Arab quarter. Its survival reminds us that heritage isn’t always gilded — sometimes, it’s built stone by stone, in silence and strength.
Here’s the twist: you won’t find the Torre dello Scrigno on a public street. It’s tucked inside the Palazzo Conte Federico, a private residence that’s part-home, part-museum — and remarkably, still inhabited by the Count and his family, who trace their lineage back to Emperor Frederick II (reigned in Sicily 1198–1250).
Today, the palace is still inhabited by Count Alessandro Federico and his family — descendants of the great Emperor Federico II (reign year.) If you’re lucky, you’ll also get a tour of the museum led by the Count’s son himself!
Tips for wanderer - Tours of Palazzo Conte Federico require booking. Arrive early or reserve in advance to secure your spot.
2. Sacred Footprints
2.1 Cattedrale di Palermo (Palermo Cathedral)
A marble column outside the Cattedrale di Palermo bears an Arabic inscription.
At first glance, the Cattedrale di Palermo (Palermo Cathedral) might feel like a patchwork — part church, part fortress, part memory. That’s because it is. Over the centuries, this sacred site has worn many faces: it began as a Byzantine temple, transformed into a mosque under Arab rule, and was later reimagined as a cathedral by the Normans.
If you’re seeking traces of its Arab past, you might feel a tinge of disappointment at first. Much of the original character has been overlaid, especially during the major 18th-century renovation. Yet, fragments of memory remain — if you know where to look.
Step outside and look for a marble column near the southern portico. Etched near its top is a plaque bearing Quranic verses from Surah al-Araf, a surviving echo from the Great Mosque of Bal’harm (the Arab name for Palermo). The inscription reads:
“Indeed your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then established Himself on the Throne. He makes the day and night overlap in rapid succession. He created the sun, the moon, and the stars — all subjected by His command. The creation and the command belong to Him [alone]. Blessed is Allah — Lord of all worlds!”
This verse lingers not just as text, but as a distant voice from Palermo’s Islamic past — a sacred whisper that’s now embedded in stone.
Tips for wanderer — Don’t miss the royal tombs inside the cathedral, especially those of King Roger II and Emperor Frederick II. They rest here in porphyry and legacy.
2.2 Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti
Inside the garden courtyard of Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti.
Just a short walk from the Royal Palace lies Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti (Church of Saint John of the Hermits), whose five red domes punctuate Palermo’s skyline like an exclamation. It’s hard not to stop. But even harder not to linger.
Step into its courtyard and you’re suddenly somewhere else — perhaps a hidden oasis in North Africa. Citrus trees perfume the air with their summery scent. Vines sprawl across the aged stone walls. Blossoms reach upward, catching the light in their delicate insistence.
Commissioned in the 12th century under Norman rule, the church was built by Arab artisans — and it shows. Inside, you’re left wondering: am I in a mosque or a church? The space is monastic in its simplicity — bare stone walls, an empty dome, and muqarnas tucked gently into the corners. On one wall, a part of a medieval fresco remains: Madonna flanked by Saint John and Saint James the Hermit.
There’s no lavish ornamentation here, but that’s perhaps why it feels so powerful. This is a place that invites stillness — where Islamic form and Christian function exist not in tension, but in a fluid, quiet dialogue. Though it was never a mosque.
My favourite part? The cloister. Enclosed by timeworn columns and capitals that seem to predate even Arab rule, it’s the kind of space that gently asks you to stay. Come in the early morning or late afternoon. Bring a book — or simply sit, and breathe.
Sacredness, as it turns out, isn’t beyond reach — it’s a humble beauty and comfort that settles in your chest and stays awhile.
2.3 Chiesa di San Cataldo
The red dome atop the Chiesa di San Cataldo glows like a ripe tomato in the sun.
With its bold geometry and three tomato-red domes, the Chiesa di San Cataldo (Church of San Cataldo) is hard to miss — even in a city full of marvels. Small in size but striking in spirit, it sits just off Piazza Bellini. Blink and you might pass it. If you pause — you’ll be drawn in.
Built in the 12th century under King William I (reigned 1120–1166), San Cataldo is Christian in purpose, but unmistakably Islamic in aesthetic. Its clean lines, cubic structure, and bare stone surfaces speak a language of balance and restraint. Lattice-like windows filter soft light, casting geometric shadows of a bygone empire.
Unlike the gilded mosaics of nearby Martorana, San Cataldo’s unadorned nave feels solemn — unfinished, in fact. Yet this incompletion adds to its power. Like San Giovanni degli Eremiti, it asks you to slow down, to be present. Perhaps it’s their shared architectural lineage that makes both spaces feel so alike.
But San Cataldo has its own secrets. Look down and you’ll find a beautiful mosaic floor of opus sectile — coloured stones arranged in geometric harmony, reminiscent of the floors in Cappella Palatina. Another testament to how art, faith, and identity once moved fluidly between cultures.
Tips for wanderer — Don’t miss the Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (La Martorana) next door. Inside, you’ll find a stunning mosaic of Roger II being crowned — not by the Pope, but by Christ Himself. A powerful imagery of divine right and Norman ambition rendered in gold.
3. Everyday Life & Living Legacies
3.1 Kalsa District
Though steeped in over a millennium of history, Palermo’s Kalsa district remains largely off the typical tourist itinerary.
Wander east of Palermo’s historic centre and you’ll find yourself in Kalsa — a district often overlooked by visitors. Its name comes from the Arabic al-Khalisa, meaning “the chosen,” and it once served as the administrative heart of the Arab emirate.
What makes Kalsa significant is that it was one of the earliest planned Arab settlements in Europe, constructed in the beginning of 9th century. This was the administrative centre of Bal’harm, the city later conquered by the Normans in 1072.
But don’t expect the grandeur you see in Arab-Norman palaces and churches. What Kalsa offers instead is texture — crumbling facades, sun-bleached balconies, murals covered in graffiti and street art, and a silence that holds stories for those who listen closely.
As you wander the neighbourhood, you may notice that much of the Arab architectural trace has all but disappeared. Today, Kalsa is home to palaces, piazzas, churches, theatres, and dozens of restaurants and wine bars.
Some say that Kalsa still feels somewhat Arab. I see it differently. While there are occasional architectural features and street layout that evoke the casbah (a term used in North Africa for a citadel or fortified quarter), the Arab presence here feels more like a memory than a marker. It’s perhaps a universal longing for a bygone empire whose rise would forever alter the course of Sicilian history.
Kalsa is, in essence, a city within a city. Though its urban fabric shows little, if any, of the physical traces laid down by Arab planners, its Arabness lives on in spirit — in the living mosaic that animates its streets, its people playing a huge part.
3.2 Mercato di Ballarò (Ballarò Market)
At noon, the sun shines onto Mercato di Ballarò, adding to the energy of the place.
If Kalsa is memory, then Ballarò is life in full volume. This is one of Palermo’s oldest market, and it shows — not in age, but in energy. The air here is thick with scent and sound: sizzling street food, fresh citrus, voices bargaining in a dialect that still carries the imprint of Arabic influence. It’s an explosion of sense — the noise, the smells, the sights.
What began as an Arab souk has evolved into something Palermitan, or does it still carry that Arabness with it? The very name Ballarò may come from the Arabic Bahlara, thought to be the name of a village from which merchants once came. Today, it’s a place where cultures continue to meet — not in history books, but over produce stands, paper cones of fried panelle,
Ballarò is messy, raw, alive. Some may find it chaotic, but the chaos doesn’t put you in danger — if anything, it sharpens your senses.
Tips for wanderer — Pick up some herbs and spices conveniently bagged for you to bring home. It’s the easiest way to let your next home-cooked pasta carry a bit of Bal’harm with it.
3.3 Palazzo Abatellis (Regional Gallery of Sicily)
At Palazzo Abatellis, you’ll find a selection of plaques bearing Arabic inscriptions.
The noise of the city softens as soon as you step into Palazzo Abatellis — a 15th-century Catalan Gothic palace that is now home to the Regional Gallery of Sicily.
Most visitors come to see The Triumph of Death, a haunting fresco that fills an entire wall with skeletal drama. But look beyond the grim spectacle, and you’ll find inscribed plaques that speak more gently of Sicily’s layered history.
Arabic script etched into stone slabs, or in opus sectile on fragments of marble — these remnants collected from historic monuments across Palermo murmurs softly. Walk slowly, and look closely. You might hear a different story.
Tips for wanderer — Don’t rush. Take a moment with Antonello da Messina’s Virgin Annunciate. Her downcast eyes, her parted lips — she seems caught mid-thought. And maybe, so are you.