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East to West

Season 1 Episode 3: A Force from the Desert

Oct 20, 2012NR57m8

We trace the origins of the Arabs and Islam, from nomadic Bedouins to the sophisticated Nabataean cultures at Petra and the magnificent city of Palmyra. We then follow the story of the Prophet Mohammed in Mecca and the spread of the empire through the Middle East and North Africa. This episode balances the usual images of fanatical jihadis, to reveal the surprisingly peaceful and tolerant process by which the Islamic empire spread. We travel from Mecca to Damascus, Jerusalem to Cairo, Fez to ...

Season 1 Episodes:

Episode 1 Between Two Rivers

1. Between Two Rivers

Aired: Mar 5, 2012

This episode follows the birth of civilization in Anatolia and the Middle Eas...

Episode 2 The Triumph of Monotheism

2. The Triumph of Monotheism

Aired: Apr 6, 2012

Today one god is worshipped by two thirds of humanity. It is the culmination ...

Episode 3 A Force from the Desert

3. A Force from the Desert

Aired: Oct 20, 2012

We trace the origins of the Arabs and Islam, from nomadic Bedouins to the sop...

Episode 4 The Renaissance and Islam

4. The Renaissance and Islam

Aired: Sep 8, 2012

In this film we will reveal how a golden age of invention and scholarship thr...

Episode 5 The Asian Crucible

5. The Asian Crucible

Aired: Nov 3, 2012

This spectacular episode explores the extraordinary powers and civilizations ...

Episode 6 The Rise of the Ottomans

6. The Rise of the Ottomans

Aired: Sep 15, 2012

At the time of Elizabeth I, the greatest power in the world was not England, ...

Episode 7 The Ottomans and the West

7. The Ottomans and the West

Aired: Sep 15, 2012

The film looks at the wider Ottoman world, taking in superb merchants’ houses...

Appearances

Creators

Nick Gillam-Smith

Nick Gillam-SmithDirector

Info about East to West

Current Status: Ended

Production Country: United Kingdom

Genres:Documentary