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Cities of Light

Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain is a story of epic sweep, stunning triumph, and ultimate tragedy about the rise and fall of one of the world's great civilizations. We have additional information on our website devoted to the film, www.islamicspain.tv.

The film takes viewers on an epic journey back into one of the most important periods of world history. Called "fascinating" by the Wall Street Journal, this historical documentary utilizes feature-film style re-enactments to bring to life the 700 year long history of the European Islamic civilization of Muslim Spain. It tells of the triumphs and shortcomings, achievements and ultimate failures of a centuries-long period when Muslims, Christians, and Jews inhabited the same far corner of Western Europe and built a society that lit the Dark Ages.

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain shows how it was possible for Muslims, Christians, and Jews to co-exist and thrive together-and yet how fragile that union can be when religious extremism begins to rise. The glories of Islamic Spain are beautifully rendered, but the film does not flinch when vividly portraying the violence and horror that ultimately engulfed it. The story is both an inspiration and a warning about what awaits civilizations that cooperate and those that clash to a world at the crossroads.

Watch the Film Trailer

What Others Say About the Film

The official theme of this fascinating documentary, [Cities of Light] is how "greed, fear and intolerance" along with "puritanical judgments and absolutism" destroyed a multicultural paradise of the Middle Ages. The subtheme is that Muslims, Jews and Christians can all live together happily if they try.

The Wall Street Journal

[Cities of Light] blends expert "talking heads," with masterful recreations, film footage of breathtaking Islamic architecture and scenes of Spain itself for a highly accessible and supremely satisfying mix. It may seem strange to say MUST SEE TV is a documentary about Islamic Spain so many centuries ago — but it is just that.

The Moderate Voice

… [I]ssues of religious intolerance continue to divide nations. [Cities of Light] serves as an example of both the glories of a multicultural society and the tensions that arise when one religious or political faction tries to force their ideas onto the society as a whole.

News Blaze

Members of each faith lived in communities that were often separate yet intertwined. Jewish, Muslim and Christian courts enforced separate laws. But Jewish merchants plied their trade to Christians and Muslims – and vice versa. A Muslim ruler appointed a Jewish scholar to head his army. Christian rulers from Europe sent their finest scholars to study in Al-Andalus.

Dallas News

The extensive credits of Executive Producers Alex Kronemer and Michael Wolfe span over 10 years of film making and include: Enemy of the Reich; Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World; Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think; Allah Made Me Funny; On a Wing and A Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly; Talking Through Walls; Prince Among Slaves; Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain; and Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet.

This film was produced and directed by Rob Gardner, whose credits include Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land; Islam: Empire of Faith; Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think; Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain; and Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire.

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