Last semester I was in Paris, I took an architecture class. Its focus was architecture in Paris from 100 AD to 1715 (the death of Louis XV). This semester, I’m taking the second half of the class which spans the years of 1715 to the present day. A major part of the class is an independent architectural analysis of a building in Paris. Last semester I did the church, Saint Severin. This semester, I am analyzing the Arab Institute here in Paris. It’s an incredibly beautiful building housing some of the best artifacts from the golden years of the Arab civilization. The Arabs were fantastic astronomers and mathematicians, and the Institute has many sun dials and astronomical calendars that exemplify their talent. The one downfall to the Institute is that it includes information on Iran and Pakistan. Technically, Iran and Pakistan are not Arab countries because they don’t speak Arabic, and Iran, in particular, has its own unique culture and history. Nonetheless, the Institute is very interesting and the architecture is a modern, sleek design on the left bank of the Seine. One of the coolest aspects is the windows. The windows are designed to adjust the light according to the sunlight outside. As you can see in this picture, it is like an automatic window shutter except it is totally solarized. It is very, very cool. The Arab Institute is a spot in Paris that is not visited often and when I went, there was hardly anyone there. I highly recommend a visit to anyone visiting Paris.
