Join us for the second night of the six part film series When the World Spoke Arabic: The Golden Age of Arab Civilization.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 7PM, ICPL, Meeting Rm. A

“The Andalusian Epic: Islamic Spain” (27 min.)
This program addresses the expansion of the Arab empire into Spain, where Muslims ruled with tolerance for more than seven centuries. The introduction and consolidation of Islamic power in Spain, the creation of the Umayyad emirate by the sole survivor of the Umayyad dynasty, the rise of Cordoba as a cultural rival of Abbasid Baghdad, and the gradual ebb of Arab rule on the Iberian Peninsula are all discussed.
“They Surveyed the World: Exploring the Arab Empire and Beyond” (27 min.)
During the 10th century, people routinely journeyed from one end of the huge Arab empire to the other—and even into non-Islamic lands far to the north and the east. Who were these travelers, and what did they seek? This program captures what it was like to be a pilgrim in a caravan bound for Mecca, an official carrying out the Caliph’s orders, a scholar seeking knowledge, a merchant in search of new markets, and an explorer charting the seas.

The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City Public Library, UI Middle East and Muslim World Studies Program, African Studies Program, and Medieval Studies Program are sponsors of this film series.

All films will be introduced by Edward Miner, International Studies Bibliographer, University of Iowa Libraries, with discussion to follow. This film series will be shown in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name in the north foyer of the University of Iowa Main Library. For more information, contact Edward Miner at (319)335-5883 or edward-miner@uiowa.edu.