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Take an epic journey into one of the most captivating periods of world history.
Take an epic journey into one of the most captivating periods of world history: a centuries-long period when Muslims, Christians and Jews inhabited the same far corner of Western Europe. The lemon tree, the water wheel and Aristotle's lost philosophy all arrived in Europe through Islamic Spain, as did algebra and the beginnings of modern medicine, science and poetry.
Take an epic journey into one of the most captivating periods of world history: a centuries-long period when Muslims, Christians and Jews inhabited the same far corner of Western Europe. The lemon tree, the water wheel and Aristotle's lost philosophy all arrived in Europe through Islamic Spain, as did algebra and the beginnings of modern medicine, science and poetry.
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Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain
Follow an epic story of the rise of the European Islamic civilization of Muslim Spain.
Extended Preview
![Preview]()
Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain
Take an epic journey into one of the most captivating periods of world history.
Preview
Providing Support for PBS.org
Providing Support for PBS.org
Photos from Cities of Light
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View of the roof of the Great Mosque of Córdoba with a cathedral inserted into building.
Unity Productions Foundation
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Hall of the Two Sisters in the Alhambra of Granada, Spain.
Unity Productions Foundation
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The mihrab of the Great Mosque of Córdoba.
Unity Productions Foundation
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Ruins of Madinat al-Zahra in Córdoba, Spain.
Unity Productions Foundation
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View of Alhambra in Granada.
Unity Productions Foundation
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Baths of Lady Maria de Padilla in the Royal Alcázars of Seville.
Unity Productions Foundation
About the Show
Over a thousand years ago, the sun-washed land of southern Spain was home to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, living together and flourishing. Their culture and beliefs intertwined, and the knowledge of the ancients was gathered and reborn. Here were the very seeds of the Renaissance.
But this world too quickly vanished. Greed, fear, and intolerance swept it away. Puritanical judgments and absolutism snuffed out the light of learning. Within a few centuries, the fragile union of these people dissipated like smoke. The time of tolerance was lost, forever.
"Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain" is a docudrama film produced by Unity Productions Foundation in association with Gardner Films.
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