The EssayThe Islamic Golden AgeEpisodes Episode guide

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1. Lubna of Cordoba

   20/20Kamila Shamsie discusses Lubna of Cordoba, a female intellectual from the 10th century.
2. Episode 19

   19/20Narguess Farzad celebrates the much loved 13th-century Persian poet Al-Rumi.
3. Salah al-Din

   18/20Historian Jonathan Phillips reassesses the influence of 12th-century hero Saladin.
4. Cities of Learning

   17/20Dr Amira Bennison considers the intellectual powerhouses of Baghdad and Cairo.
5. Ibn Rushd

   16/20Professor Charles Burnett considers the philosopher Ibn Rushd.
6. Al-Ghazali

   15/20Professor Mona Siddiqui discusses religious thinker and mystic Al-Ghazali.
7. Al Hakim

   14/20Dr Simonetta Calderini discusses Al Hakim, the controversial Egyptian imam-caliph.
8. Al-Biruni

   13/20Professor James Montgomery discusses the Islamic scholar Al-Biruni.
9. Islamic Architecture

   12/20Dr Sussan Babaie discusses the architectural glories of the Islamic world.
10. Avicenna

    11/20Dr Tony Street assesses the great philosopher and physician Avicenna.
11. Al-Farabi

    10/20Professor Peter Adamson discusses the great Muslim philosopher Al-Farabi.
12. Al-Tabari

    9/20Hugh Kennedy discusses the life and times of the great historian of early Islam, al-Tabari
13. Al-Kindi

    8/20Professor James Montgomery discusses the life and work of Arab philosopher Al-Kindi.
14. Al-Khwarizmi

    7/20Jim Al-Khalili explores the legacy of mathematician and astronomer al-Khwarizmi.
15. Rabia Balkhi and Mahsati Ganjavi

    6/20Narguess Farzad of SOAS discusses Persian poetesses Rabia Balkhi and Mahsati Ganjavi.
16. Harun al-Rashid

    5/20Julia Bray explores the figure of Harun al-Rashid from the Thousand and One Night tales.
17. Paper

    4/20Jonathan Bloom explains how Islamic scholars and thinkers became early adopters of paper.
18. Imam Bukhari

    3/20Baroness Sayeeda Warsi gives her personal take on Persian scholar Imam Bukhari.
19. Ali ibn Abi Talib

    2/20Professor Robert Gleave discusses Ali ibn Abi Talib and the origins of Shia Islam.
20. The Establishment of the Islamic State

    1/20Professor Hugh Kennedy explains how the Islamic state was established.