MARRIOTT BUZZ NO. 14 - 2018

8 I N T E R V I EW As per Giese, Von Diebitsch began “his architectural career in Germany, where he executed various neo-Moorish baths in Dresden and Schwerin, as well as residential buildings in Berlin and nearby Neuruppin.” She mentions that Von Diebitsch rose to prominence after “gaining international recognition with his Moorish Kiosk executed at his own personal expense and exhibited in the Prussian section of the Parisian 1867 World Fair.” Thus, it was for his studious appreciation and imposition of Ibero-Islamic design that he made his name, and until this day the Gezirah Palace, Giese continues, “stands out as one of his most important oeuvres, which can still be contemplated today - at least partially.” Overall, Von Diebitsch will be remembered as one of the principal architects that ordained the Gezirah Palace with its resoundingly grandiose and ornate architectural composition. On Von Diebitsch’s obsession with Moorish architecture, Giese maintained that; “he was equally attracted by the rich ornamental décor of the Alhambra, as well as by the stucco technique applied by the restorers of the monument who restituted its surface decoration by means of plaster casts taken from the original remaining parts.” Giese explains that he was also “very much engaged with engineering innovation, which he developed in his Berlin workshop, located in his house at Hafenplatz. Berlin.” She also noted that Von Diebitsch “saw in the new Moorish style a way to revitalize European architecture and create a modern and innovative architectural language.” He, like most European architects at the time, considered the ornamental part of the Alhambra “as the most important contribution of Ibero-Islamic architecture for a contemporary