This week-long series presents Islam as it is lived and practised. Travelling to Mecca, the heart of the Muslim world, the series makes an extraordinary journey into a city which no non-Muslim may enter.
C4, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 July at 7.50pm
9 July at 6.50pm
20 July at 7.30pm
Our guides are six pilgrims from different parts of the world, including a young Spanish pizza chef, a newspaper boy from Jerusalem, and a PR professional from Pakistan. They all have a dream, to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Six, intimate 10-minute portraits explore their lives and the way they worship – from Djenne in Mali to Lahore in Pakistan. and from Tehran in Iran to Istanbul in Turkey.
These are contrasting lives in diverse settings, yet with a single common thread: Islam, the fastest-growing faith, which has 1.3 billion followers. Through their stories, we learn how modern Muslims live, while discovering some of the most stunning examples of Islamic architecture in the world.
The short programmes culminate in a full-length documentary which follows up the people and themes introduced in the short films. With unprecedented access to Mecca – the city that welcomes close to a quarter of a million pilgrims every fortnight – we meet the man who massages the weary feet of the faithful, the muezzin who calls them to prayer, and the head of the religious police. We also hear from the pilgrims themselves as they arrive in this holiest of Muslim shrines.
A week-long television series starting on Channel 4 on 14th July, titled ‘The Seven Wonders of the Muslim World’, will travel into the heart of Muslim-majority countries from across the world.
This series is part of a special week of programmes which aims to de-mystify Islam, offering an insight into the lives and beliefs of Muslims all over the world.
It will start with Mecca in Saudi Arabia the city where the religion started and which is the birth place of its founder. The guides are six pilgrims from different parts of the world - including a young Spanish pizza chef, a newspaper boy from Jerusalem, and a PR professional from Pakistan.
They all have a dream, to visit Mecca for pilgrimage.
On Sunday 20th July, building on the people and themes introduced earlier, Channel 4 will screen a 90-minute documentary with unprecedented access to Mecca.
The season on de-mystifying Islam also includes the first in-depth documentary on the Qu’ran and a website ‘Osama Loves’, which explores the diversity of the Muslim world by finding as many people called Osama as possible in a journey ranging from Indonesia to New York.
Also from New York, there is a special series of Sharia TV, giving young Muslims the chance to pose questions to experts drawn from a spectrum of Islamic opinion.
THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE MUSLIM WORLD
Mon 14th July 08 @ 7:50pm – 10 mins
Tues 15th July 08 @ 7:50pm – 10 mins
Wed 16th July 08 @ 7:50pm – 10 mins
Thurs 17th July 08 @ 7:50pm – 10 mins
Fri 18th July 08 @ 7:50pm – 10 mins
Sat 19th July 08 @ 7pm – 10 mins
Sun 20th July 08 @19:30 – 90 mins
SHARIAH TV 5
Mon 14th July 08 @ 00:10am
Tues 15th July 08 @ 00:05am
Wed 16th July 08 @ 00:05am
Thurs 17th July 08 @ 00:20am
Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolaters and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse." (Muslim)
Yeah, that's true but if your idea was restricted to just the wonders from the documentary, then they too cover only mosques.
The seven wonders
1. The Grand Mosque in Mecca is the largest mosque in the world. At its centre is the Kaaba, a cubic building covered in a gold-embroidered black cloth towards which Muslims turn as they pray. Every year, millions of people perform the Hajj – the pilgrimage during the 12th month of the Islamic year – and many others make the pilgrimage at other times of year, which is called the Umrah.
2. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Islam’s third holiest city is situated next to the Dome of the Rock. This iconic golden dome can be seen from all over Jerusalem. Al-Aqsa, dates from the late 7th century, making it one of the oldest mosques in the world.
3. The Alhambra in Granada, Spain, which dates from the 13th century, was designed by Muslim architects and built by the Muslim rulers of El Andaluz, or Andalucia. It was inspired by Qur’anic descriptions of paradise as an oasis, with trees, fountains and buildings.
4. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, lined with blue tiles and reflecting the Byzantine church architecture of 400 years ago, expresses the sumptuousness of the Ottoman Empire and represents the zenith of Muslim architecture.
5. The Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali is the tallest mud-built mosque in the world. Its thick walls and many roof supports make it dark and simple inside. Every Friday, people in this huge but poor country come into the city to pray here.
6. The Imam Mosque in Esfahan, Iran, is magnificent in its design and decoration. Built in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was a stunning statement of Persian imperial power, and incorporates a pool, colleges and communal space, as well as the mosque itself.
7. The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan was built in 1673 and is a wonderful example of Mughal architecture. The building’s openness is in line with the Islam of the Indian subcontinent, which has traditionally been accommodating to all sects.
Yeah, that's true but if your idea was restricted to just the wonders from the documentary, then they too cover only mosques.[/URL]
Yeah, but the thread I was thinking about would include all architectural wonders of the muslim world, including mosques. Like Taj Mahal, for instance, which is not a mosque, but probably the most wonderful example of muslim-influenced architecture.
He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to the Believers. [Quran {33:43}] www.QuranicAudio.com www.Quran.com
Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolaters and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse." (Muslim)
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