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Films
The Hidden Art of Islam (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Muslim belief and tradition specifies that there should be no depictions of God or the Prophet Muhammad. In religious contexts, this constraint extends to human figures and other living creatures. Host Rageh Omaar traces the effect of these beliefs over the centuries on the art and artists of the Islamic world.
Inside the Topkapi Palace Museum (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Once the palace of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul is a vast treasury of Islamic culture, science and weaponry, visited by over 2 million people every year.
Circle within the square (streaming, Academic Video Online)
The great 16th century architect Mimar Sinan rose from humble beginnings to become chief architect to the Ottoman ruler Suleyman the Magnificent. This beautful film traces the development of Sinan's unique Islamic style in the context of his times - and highlights some of the 500 known buildings he designed during his amazing career. The famous domed structure of his masterpiece - the Selimiye Mosque in the Turkish town of Edirne - is recognized throughout the world as the solution to the classic architectural puzzle of the Circle Within the Square
Unmayyads and Their Capital Damascus (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Looks at the achievements of the first Islamic dynasty, the Unmayyads, who established their capital at Damascus. Their regime spread throughout greater Syria, and they left a rich architectural heritage. This includes two of the great surviving Islamic buildings, the Great Mosque of Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The program emphasizes how the early Islamic builders and architects used ideas and materials inherited from their Byzantine predecessors.
Two Islamic Regimes in Cairo (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Cairo displays the glories of two of the great Islamic regimes - the Shi'ite Fatimids who swept in from the North African desert, and the Mamluks, slave soldiers who overthrew their masters to set up their own Sunni dynasty. Both have left behind impressive evidence of their strength. The program introduces a colorful cast of characters. The rebel governor Ibn Tulun spent all his tax takings on building one of the earliest and finest mosques, named after him, instead of passing the money on to his masters in Baghdad; the caliph Hakim won widespread Shi'ite admiration despite his cruel and despotic rule.
Ottomans and Their Capital Istanbul (streaming, Academic Video Online)
The Ottomans continued the theme of borrowing from, or adapting the work of their Byzantine predecessors. The two dominating buildings of historic Istanbul are the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia.
Building for Islam: Malaysia and Bangladesh (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Throughout the Islamic world the Aga Khan Award recognizes architectural excellence in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community improvement, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. This four-part series takes a close look at the 9 last winners of this very coveted award and their accomplishments from the rehabilitation of the old city of Shibam in Yemen, to the design of the brand new University of Technology of Petronas in Malaysia.
Building for Islam: Burkina Faso, Yemen, and Singapore (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Throughout the Islamic world the Aga Khan Award recognizes architectural excellence in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community improvement, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. This four-part series takes a close look at the 9 last winners of this very coveted award and their accomplishments from the rehabilitation of the old city of Shibam in Yemen, to the design of the brand new University of Technology of Petronas in Malaysia.
Building for Islam: Yemen and Lebanon (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Throughout the Islamic world the Aga Khan Award recognizes architectural excellence in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community improvement, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. This four-part series takes a close look at the 9 last winners of this very coveted award and their accomplishments from the rehabilitation of the old city of Shibam in Yemen, to the design of the brand new University of Technology of Petronas in Malaysia.
Seven wonders of the Muslim world (streaming, Academic Video Online)
Follow six young pilgrims as they make their way from their homes and families on a journey of a lifetime to Mecca, birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. Features the Grand Mosque in Mecca; the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem; the Alhambra in Granada, Spain; the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey; the Great Mosque of Djenné, Mali; the Imam Mosque in Esfahan, Iran; and the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan.
Of kings and paintings (streaming, Academic Video Online)
f Kings and Paintings is a lavish history of the extraordinary art that was commissioned during the Qajar Dynasty (1785 - 1925) and an exploration of the world that created it. In interviews with history and art experts, the film explores this remarkable era in Iranian history that straddled the transition between tradition and modernity. The film looks at the multiple ways in which the art of the Qajar era evolved, from the use of traditional Iranian painting elements to techniques of European painting, aided by the use of the new invention of photography. While offering an overview of painters and paintings of the period and its continued legacy, Of Kings and Paintings weaves together art history and Persian history.
Art of Spain. Episode 1, The Moorish South (streaming, Academic Video Online)
From Moorish art and the Islamic legacy on Spain and Europe to Modernism, Seville to Barcelona, food and wine, Andrew reveals that Spanish culture is every bit as rich as Italy's, with a more surprising edge.
Persian Miniatures from the Shahnameh (dvd)
This program traces the development of illustrations depicting the Shahnameh, Iran's national epic poem written by Firdausi in the early 11th century, over the course of three centuries and under the patronage of three distinct Persian dynasties. Parallels between miniature painting and other art forms of the time are drawn, and the cultural settings in which this art flourished are examined.
The Moorish South: Art in Muslim and Christian Spain from 711 to 1492 (dvd)
Under Muslim rule, Spain became the most advanced, wealthy, and populous country in Europe, with great leaps forward in art, architecture, and many other fields. In this program, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon travels from Cordoba to Seville and on to Granada as he tells the story of art in Islamic and medieval Spain.
