Hart wrote that Darke's comparison between Big Ben and a now destroyed minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo has no evidence of direct influence and could distract from her argument.[1] Architecture critic Rowan Moore of The Observer named this as an example of some unconvincing arguments in the book.[2] Gordon argued that starting the book with the church of Qalb Loze is inaccurate as the building is Christian and predates Islam, while mosaics, coloured glass and bell towers were in Europe before that religion began.[3]