Season 1
An Islamic History of Europe is a British documentary produced by the BBC in which correspondent Rageh Omaar travels through Europe discovering the history of Islam's contribution to the European Renaissance.
The documentary originally aired in the UK on BBC4 in 2005. It is 90 minutes long.
An Islamic History of Europe aired for the first time in South Africa on DStv's BBC World channel on Saturday 12 July 2008, at 16h10. It airs in two parts of 50 minutes each.
Repeats
Sundays: 10h10, 19h10
Mondays: 03h10
Synopsis
To many, East and West appear set on an inevitable collision course, with Christianity, Judaism and Islam locked in permanent confrontation.
But on this revealing journey through Europe, presenter Rageh Omaar proves that this is not how it has always been.
Beginning in southern Spain, where Muslims first entered the Iberian Peninsula in 711, Rageh's Islamic journey is a vivid evocation of what has been described as a golden age; a time when Muslims shared knowledge derived in the East and developed in the West with Jews and Christians.
This evocative film brings to life a time when emirs and caliphs dominated Spain and Sicily and Islamic scholarship swept into the major cities of Europe.
His journey reveals the debt owed to Islam for its vital contribution to the European Renaissance.