The Essay Episodes Available now
Let There Be Dark—Let There Be Dark
1/5 Rupert Goodwins on what going blind suddenly taught him about science, culture and life.
Al-Farabi—The Islamic Golden Age
10/20 Professor Peter Adamson discusses the great Muslim philosopher Al-Farabi.
Al-Tabari—The Islamic Golden Age
9/20 Hugh Kennedy discusses the life and times of the great historian of early Islam, al-Tabari
Al-Kindi—The Islamic Golden Age
8/20 Professor James Montgomery discusses the life and work of Arab philosopher Al-Kindi.
Al-Khwarizmi—The Islamic Golden Age
7/20 Jim Al-Khalili explores the legacy of mathematician and astronomer al-Khwarizmi.
Rabia Balkhi and Mahsati Ganjavi—The Islamic Golden Age
6/20 Narguess Farzad of SOAS discusses Persian poetesses Rabia Balkhi and Mahsati Ganjavi.
Harun al-Rashid—The Islamic Golden Age
5/20 Julia Bray explores the figure of Harun al-Rashid from the Thousand and One Night tales.
Paper—The Islamic Golden Age
4/20 Jonathan Bloom explains how Islamic scholars and thinkers became early adopters of paper.
Imam Bukhari—The Islamic Golden Age
3/20 Baroness Sayeeda Warsi gives her personal take on Persian scholar Imam Bukhari.
Ali ibn Abi Talib—The Islamic Golden Age
2/20 Professor Robert Gleave discusses Ali ibn Abi Talib and the origins of Shia Islam.
