Discovery Channel Observes Ramadan With 3 Films Celebrating Islamic Culture, History

Every year, over a billion Muslims worldwide observe the sacred month of Ramadan. Celebrated this year between 9 July and 8 August, Ramadan is not simply about fasting from dawn to sunset, praying and charity, but it is also a time for reflection, spiritual purification and devotion to Allah, to inculcate self-control, generosity, kindness and God-mindfulness within a person.

Considered the most sacred time of the year, Ramadan ends with the most significant Muslim holiday – Eid al-Fitr, also known as the feast of breaking the fast or Hari Raya Aidilfitri. To commemorate this special month, Discovery Channel presents a RAMADAN SPECIAL featuring three one-hour documentaries premiering daily at 7:00 p.m. from August 5 to 7. Encores back-to-back on Eid al-Fitr on Thursday, August 8, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The meaning of Ramadan dates back to about 610 A.D. and it was this time during the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar that Muslims believe Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, to Prophet Muhammad. In TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE, time-travel back a thousand years and unearth a host of timeless stories from Islamic history. Narrated by Jordanian-born English actor Nadim Sawalha, the anthology captures the Arab Renaissance period in a unique way with features on Muslim pioneers who have made significant contributions to the world, starting with the Story Of Fatima, a girl with big dreams who embarked on an adventure that would change the world. The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Fatima Al Fihri was a strong proponent of learning, establishing a mosque and place for scholarly discussions in 859 A.D. – the world’s first academic degree-granting institution of higher education. Back then, it was regarded as one of the leading spiritual and education centers of the Muslim world. Today, the University of Al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco, which she founded, is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in the world.

Also featured in TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE is the story of an Arab scholar and a Christian king who began a journey of discovery – Al Idrissi and The Book of Roger. It took Arabic geographic Muhammad Al Idrissi 18 toiling years to produce his medieval atlas of the world, the ‘Kitab Rudjdjar’ or ‘Tabula Rogeriana’, the most accurate map of the world in pre-modern times. The map, which he created in 1154, continued to be a great influence on cartography and was used by geographers for three centuries, even inspiring some of the world’s greatest explorers, scholars, and geographers including Christopher Columbus.

And finally, TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE tells The Story of Ibn Al Nafis and The Mysteries of the Heart – the tale of a brilliant Arab scholar from Syria who lived from 1213 to 1288. Ibn Al Nafis left a priceless legacy and revolutionised medicine by being the first physician to describe the blood circulatory system, and how the bronchi and coronary arteries interacted for the transfer of air to blood. He discovered that blood moved from the right to the left side of the heart via the lungs.  A polymath, Ibn Al Nafis was also a linguist, philosopher, and writer of fiction with a huge volume of work.

In SEVEN AGES OF QATAR, journey through the sands of time and follow an incredible project to uncover the secrets buried in the earth. Beneath the modern state lie the ruins of a magnificent desert civilization – the lost, ancient history of Qatar. Through contemporary research and archaeological discoveries that were long hidden by desert sands, SEVEN AGES OF QATAR reveals a rich and extraordinary past; one of brave warriors, the riches of the pearl trade, the rise and fall of empires and exodus.

Finally, be dazzled by the poetically visualized stories from the collection in Qatar’s stunning museum in TALES FROM MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART. Built on a man-made island, facing the cornice of Qatar’s capital Doha, this 35,500 square meter, US$300 million museum has the world’s largest collection of Islamic art on display. World-renowned architect Leoh Ming Pei, the creator of the Louvre in Paris, came out of retirement to design the building, the structure of which was inspired by Ibn Tulun’s mosque in Egypt and the Alhambra in Spain. The museum exhibits an art collection spanning thirteen centuries from across the Islamic world and countries that have been influenced by Islamic artistic trends such as India and Spain. While the museum has at least 4,500 objects, only 850 items are on display at one time. This documentary uncovers some of its most stunning artifacts and the fascinating stories, history, and culture behind these gems like a jade pendant belonging to Shah Jahan and Al-Sufi’s Book of Fixed Stars.