Cities of Life: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain
Cities of Life: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain explores the causes that destroyed the one civilization of pluralism and interfaith cooperation that for a few centuries lit the Dark Ages in Medieval Europe. Over a thousand years ago, Europe experienced one of its greatest periods of cultural enlightenment. For more than three centuries in Medieval Spain, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together and prospered in a thriving multicultural civilization. Here, remarkable individuals of different faiths made lasting contributions in such areas as poetry, art, architecture, music, dining etiquette, science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, navigation, textiles, and even hydraulic technology. Their rich, complex culture reached a high point in the Mediterranean Middle Ages. However, larger forces in conquest of land and power brought about puritanical judgments, absolutism and religious extremism. The conflict they triggered extinguished the shared learning that once flourished in this enlightened land. (from islamicspain.tv)
| The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain (Part 1) |
| Related Links |
| Al-Andalus - wikipedia Al-Andalus, also known as Moorish Iberia, was a medieval Muslim state and territorial region occupying parts of what is today Spain and Portugal, and small parts of modern France. |
| When the Moors Ruled in Europe Bettany Hughes traces the story of the mysterious and misunderstood Moors, the Islamic society that ruled in Spain for 700 years. |
| The Art of Spain This is a BBC documentary series presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon, exploring Spanish art from beautiful Moorish palaces and mosques around 1000 years ago to modern Spanish architecture. |
| Science and Islam This is a three-part BBC documentary series presented by Jim Al-Khalili, exploring the history of science in medieval Islamic civilization. |