Art of Faith: Islam
Documentary, Educational, History, G, 01-Oct-2008
Looking back over the last 3000 years, the series provides an insight into how we have celebrated art through faith. With contributions from architects, scholars and worshippers, the films explain the buildings' genesis, laying down the brush strokes of the sites' design, whilst looking at the shared elements and contrasts between religions and the aesthetics of the places of worship.
Millions of Muslims around the world glorify Allah when they pray five times every day. But for their obligatory prayers, although they must have clean clothes and a clean body, and to face towards Mecca, Muslims do not need a mosque. Prayer may be offered alone. Yet for nearly fifteen hundred years Muslims have built mosques both modest and grand. Islam asks, how do very different mosques across the world express the fundamentals of Islam? And what are the stories of other buildings of the faith, like madrassas - the religious schools - and mausoleums?
Islam travels to a diverse range of Islamic places of worship in Agra, Córdoba, Istanbul, Jerusalem, London, Kairouan, Samarkand, Singapore and Woking.