Redpath Book Display

Authors: ARTE France (Firm); Infobase(Film distributor).
Description: Alfred's point of entry to China is Kashgar, in the Xinjiang region--the biggest in the country. It is home to the Uyghurs, an ethnic minority descended from Turkic peoples. At the height of trading on the Silk Road, Kashgar was a major hub for caravans traveling to India or Central Asia. Alfred visits a market, is instructed in the importance of plant ingredients in preparing medicines by a Uyghur apothecary and is invited to a Tajik wedding in the valley of Tashkurgan.

Authors: Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm); Films Media Group; Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd.
Description In addition to trade goods, religious beliefs also followed the ancient Silk Road into China. Today, a vibrant minority of more than 20 million Chinese Muslims of various ethnic groups live harmoniously among an overall population of more than a billion. This program traces the history of Islam in China while illustrating the Muslim way of life there, including prayer, religious education, and cultural activities. (52 minutes)

Authors: Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm); Films Media Group; Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd.
Description: This program follows in the footsteps of the traders who introduced Islam into Southeast Asia. From the Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese mainland to the islands of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the program acquaints viewers with Islamic culture, representative architecture, historical monuments, and the Muslim way of life in the region. (47 minutes)

Authors: Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm); Films Media Group; Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd.
Description: This program follows in the footsteps of the traders who introduced Islam into Southeast Asia. From the Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese mainland to the islands of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the program acquaints viewers with Islamic culture, representative architecture, historical monuments, and the Muslim way of life in the region. (47 minutes)

Authors: Dirk Dumon; Dan Alexe; Herman Meyssen; John Boyle; Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm); Films Media Group; Radiodiffusion télévision belge; Vlaamse Audiovisuele Regie.
Description: This program introduces Sufism, a branch of Islam which is much less well known in the West than some of the more fundamentalist forms which are frequently in the news. The program travels to India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Macedonia to explore exactly what Sufism is and observe how it is practiced in various parts of the world today. Among the many aspects of Sufism featured in the program are the whirling dervishes of Turkey, who find God through ecstasy; ecstatic fakirs in Macedonia, where there is a big revival in popular Sufism; and the vital role of music in Sufism in India and Pakistan. The program also features Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, perhaps the most well-known performer of Qawali music. (50 minutes)

Authors:Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm); Films Media Group; Public Affairs Television (Firm)
Description: Coleman Barks has dedicated much of his life’s work to introducing the 13th-century Islamic mystic Jelaluddin Rumi to contemporary audiences. In this program, Barks brings the prolific Rumi to life in poems that are alternately ecstatic, wise, and hilarious. Filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. (58 minutes)

Authors: Judith Frey 1948- (Screenwriter; Film director; Film producer); Don Poe (Editor of moving image work); Axel MellingerChristopher Sarson(Narrator)
Description: Traces the Silk Road through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, where Islam flourished after the 7th century with an artistic renaissance that reflected the beauty of Persian culture. The legendary journey of the caravans forms a backdrop for this region's exquisite legacy of music, poetry, and visual arts. The DVD features six selections of Persian classical music and Sufi music recorded up to 40 years ago, with 140 photos of Islamic art and architecture in historic Silk Road cities of western Asia. From Istanbul, a choir performs Persian poetry in its traditional form, through song. Persian classical music of the 6th century unfolds as the expression of a moment in time, or a state of being. A Sufi call to prayer is performed on the ney, a reed flute whose tone is the symbol of the ecstatic, in an order of Dervishes founded in the 13th century by the poet Jallaludin Rumi. A Sufi melody is performed on the ney in the mode of nostalgia, bringing the past and present together in a timeless rhythm. A flute solo from Samarqand improvises on a Sufi theme, evoking the mystical feeling of this ancient land.