05-08-01: PBS 2 give HEART ATTACK 2 NUSRAT RIZVI
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Airing on May 8th
SFO Bay Area KQED-Channel
9 - (9pm-11:30pm)
Sacramento area KVIE-Channel 6 - (9pm-11:30pm).
Day & time: check with your local station
ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH
http://www.pbs.org/whatson/press/winspring/islam.html
http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/
Between the fall of Rome and the European voyages of
discovery, few events were more significant than the rise of
Islam. Within a few centuries, the Islamic empires
blossomed, projecting their power from Africa to the East
Indies, from Spain to India. Inspired by the words of the
prophet Muhammad, and led by caliphs and sultans, this
political and religious expansion remains unequaled in
speed, geographic size and endurance.
ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH, narrated by Academy
Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley, airs on PBS Tuesday,
May 8, 2001, 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The
two-and-a-half-hour program tells the story of the great
sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years
— from the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the peak of
the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the
Magnificent. Historical re-enactments and a remarkable
exposition of Islamic art, artifacts and architecture are
combined with interviews with scholars to recount the rise of
early Islamic civilization.
Increasingly, scholars and historians are recognizing the
profound impact that Islamic civilization has had on Western
culture and world history. Islam was the conduit for the
intellectual legacies of Greece, Egypt and China; its
geographic and cultural breadth brought immeasurable
advances in literature, the arts, science and medicine to the
Western world of the Middle Ages. It was the seed for the
European Renaissance and was a defining force against
which the West pushed — in war, trade and religion.
"The Messenger" (8:00 p.m. ET) Through the
extraordinary life of the prophet Muhammad and his
simple but revolutionary message, the first episode
introduces the dramatic story of Islam’s rise. The
program covers the revelation and early writing of
the Koran, the creation of the first mosque, the
persecution suffered by the first Muslims and the
major battles fought by Muhammad and his followers
to establish the new religion. The rapid religious,
cultural and political expansion of Islam overwhelms
the empires of Persia and Byzantium, creating a new
empire larger than Rome.
"The Awakening" (9:00 p.m. ET) Episode two
examines the flowering of Islam into one of the great
civilizations in history. Culture and goods flow freely
throughout a large empire. Islamic principles and
influence are spread further, affecting the intellectual
development of the West. Arabic becomes the
language of learning, and achievements in art,
architecture, science and medicine flourish. The
episode also tells the story of the Crusades and
describes the recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin the
Great, ending with the devastating Mongol invasion of
Islamic lands.
"The Ottomans" (10:00 p.m. ET) The final
segment reveals the dramatic transformation of
Islam resulting from the Mongol invasion. Nomads
enlisted by Muslims to fight the Mongols stake their
own claims and become known as Ottomans. The
Ottomans create a new empire that expands
westward into Christian territories. Suleyman the
Magnificent shapes the Ottomans into a military
powerhouse and an empire of wealth and
sophistication, which threatens the power centers of
Europe and the empire of the Persian Safavids
before falling to enemies from within.
The series includes the participation of important scholars of
Islamic culture, including Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair,
authors of the companion book, Islam: A Thousand Years of
Faith and Power, and
Dr. Esin Atil, retired curator of Islamic Art at the
Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery.
Producer Robert Gardner (ARAB AND JEW: WOUNDED
SPIRITS IN A PROMISED LAND) is the first American
filmmaker allowed to work in Iran — where most of the
re-enactments were shot — since the Islamic revolution of
1979. Majid Mirfakhraei, an art director and designer in
Iran, oversaw the creation of more than 300 period
costumes — among them Bedouin tribesmen, Mongol
soldiers, Crusaders, seventh-century Arab soldiers,
ninth-century scholars and scribes of Baghdad, residents of
11th-century Jerusalem and the royal robes of Suleyman
the Magnificent — and supervised sets and locations.
Day & time: check with your local station
Credits
Underwriters: Public Television Viewers and PBS. Producer:
Gardner Films in association with PBS and Devillier Donegan
Enterprises. Producer/director: Robert Gardner. Series
writer: Jonathan Grupper. Editors: Christopher Schultz and
David Grossbach. Director of photography: Regis Becker.
Format: CC STEREO. Online: PBS.org