The Golden Age of Islam

The mighty Almoravid dynasty lasted only a century before it was overthrown by another another great Berber dynasty- the Almohads.  In this episode, we look at the fearless and determined founder of the dynasty, the controversial Ibn Tumart, who would change the face of North Africa and Spain for centuries.

The Amoravid Berber dynasty established an empire that stretched from Ghana to the north of Spain.  For centuries they would fight against the Christian conquest from the North and leave a lasting impression on Spain and the Western Muslim World.

The continuation of the influential philosophical work Hayy Ibn Yaqdhan, in which the hero discovers the deepest truths of the universe while on a desert island, without the aid of teachers or language.

One of the most influential Arabic works of the Middle Ages, Ibn Tufayl's "philosophical novel" Hayy Ibn Yaqdhan has influenced Western literature from Rousseau to Tarzan.  An allegory for Classical Muslim Rationalist ideas about education, freedom, religion and philosophy, the classic work finds echoes in Robinson Crusoe and the Jungle Book.

In the 800s, Baghdad sat at the center of an international trading empire stretching from Europe to China.  In this episode, we look at how travelers saw the countries of the Indian Ocean and Far East and how they viewed their own culture in relation to those.  From exotic animals, strange rituals, the universal acknowledgment of the superiority of Islam and, of course, the opportunity to make vast fortunes.

In the continuing disagreements over the role of ethnicity in the Muslim Empire, the 9th Century classic "The Excellence of the Arabs" was seen as a definitive word.  This book, by a renown Baghdad scholar lays out the case for what makes Arabs special, traits that have continued to be admired until this day.

While Arab pride was growing in the Abbasid empire, similar movements of ethnic and cultural pride among Persians and other groups were also emerging.  This episode looks at the reaction to expressions of Arab superiority and the competition to determine the cultural direction of the empire.

Arab culture and Islam are often associated in our minds, but has this always been so?  In this episode we look at the emergence of the "Arab" identity in early Islam and the reaction of other peoples in the empire.

A popular Sufi teacher was executed in eighth century Baghdad for publicly declaring "I am the Truth!"  Yet today, many consider him a visionary with knowledge beyond normal understanding.  Mansour al-Hallaj was but one of the early Sufi masters who challenged established systems of knowledge, power and social order.  In this episode, we look at those who pushed, and came to define, the boundaries of spiritual experience.

The best-selling poet in the United States is the 13th century Islamic mystic, Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, who taught a path of devotion to God leading to merging of one's self with God.  Centuries later, he has become an inspiration to seekers from all religions, from Zen Buddhists to New Age spiritualists.  But do the modern interpretations of his verses that adorn bumper sticker and coffee mugs reflect the true nature of his teachings?