Good morning, we will continue to look at the Dark Ages as an Age of Light. Today Waldemar Januszczak looks at the art of Islam. He starts in Cordoba, Spain, and talks about the astrolabe. First, he goes back in time to explore the art of Islam and its beginnings. He starts in Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock. After Muhammad’s death, Islam was preoccupied with conquest. It was dramatic, rapid, and remarkable. Islam started small and then grew.
Waldemar tours Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock. Muslims looked to the stars and nature for their inspiration in their artwork. One caliph took inspiration from circular churches for their architecture. Islamic art evokes a sense of paradise, a green and lush paradise. Being surrounded by deserts made Muslims dream of green land. Waldemar then tours the Damascus Mosque. Here a description of paradise is found. Waldemar states that it is a dramatic vision of paradise. The Paradise in Islam promises a grand life. Waldemar then goes on to tour a desert palace. The Caliphs retreated here to get away from the city and the pressures of the ruling. This palace is built in a desert wadi. There were a variety of contraptions to bring water to the palace. There is a bathhouse on the site. Inside the bathhouse, there are floor-to-ceiling mosaics. Were these signs of what was available in paradise? Other palaces are scattered through the desert display a variety of mosaics. In 1987, an Islamic brazier was discovered. It was used to heat the room and burn incense. It would be wheeled from room to room, spreading the scent throughout the palace. It was high-quality metalwork. When joy was called for, the art expressed joy. When sobriety was called for Islamic art reflected sobriety. In 879 AD, a mosque was built in Egypt and the mosque reflects this seriousness. The city was destroyed leaving the mosque behind. Each mosque took inspiration from the Prophet Muhammed’s house. The courtyard was built to keep the outside world at bay. There were simple shelters built to protect the followers from the sun. People could meet together to discuss community affairs. There was a prayer hall, based on the Prophet’s home. Waldemar continues to Islam and the Islamic world through this documentary. He talks about how one man calculated the circumference of the earth. Then he explores an outpost of the Islamic empire. He talks about how water impacted Islamic architecture and how it inspired city planning. A new mosque was built in the city. To continue to learn about Islam and architecture watch the rest of this documentary. Waldemar went gung-ho on the mosques and did not focus too much on the inventions as he hinted at the start of the episode. It made the documentary feel incomplete like he could not find anything else to talk about besides mosques and architecture. By the time Waldemar talked about the arts and crafts of Islam, it felt a bit too little, too late. I mean, at about 40:00 minutes he finally talked about rock crystal and the use Muslims had for it. Additionally, why did he not address trade through the Islamic empire? What about the Islamic impact on Europe? At times his presentation style felt bizarre because it was over the top. It was a bit of a challenge to write this review because the episode was so awful. Honestly, who researched this episode? Who wrote this episode? I would like to know. This would be a documentary to show if you had time to explore Islam in the Dark Ages. Otherwise, you can give this documentary a pass.
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