The Duomo of Florence is considered a marvel of engineering that came from the singular genius of Filippo Brunelleschi. In fact, his innovations of a double shell dome made with a herringbone brick pattern come from Ardestan and Soltaniyeh, two much older domes in Iran.

I’ve been deep in research about this for an upcoming podcast episode and it’s got me so lit up that I cannot sleep! I’m especially fascinated by the deep networks of Italian merchants and Dominican and Franciscan clergy who were traveling through Persia, buying silk, building churches, and studying architecture and mathematics. The links are clear and the dome’s engineering wouldn’t have been a secret among the Renaissance elite, though the propaganda of the time required that ancient Rome be considered the source. It all makes sense in the spirit of Renaissance Florence, but it makes no sense that we continue to perpetuate these same myths today.

I also believe that if Iran had not been a closed country for the past 47 years, there would’ve been so much more travel and cultural exchange and more beautiful connections like this could’ve been shared. It’s the perfect example of why history gives me so much hope for the future. I pray I can see these domes with my own eyes someday in the near future.