Available online
Description
Mosques are often looked at by non-Muslims as places of exceptional physical beauty. But what do they mean as buildings with a liturgical function? Why are they shaped and furnished as they are? W...hat does their decoration mean to the devout Muslim? These questions are answered in a programme illustrated by pictures from all over the world of Islam, and by film specially shot in Jerusalem and Birmingham.
Mosques are often looked at by non-Muslims as places of exceptional physical beauty. But what do they mean as buildings with a liturgical function? Why are they shaped and furnished as they are? W...hat does their decoration mean to the devout Muslim? These questions are answered in a programme illustrated by pictures from all over the world of Islam, and by film specially shot in Jerusalem and Birmingham.
| Module code and title: | AD208, Man's religious quest |
|---|---|
| Item code: | AD208; 05 |
| First transmission date: | 22-07-1978 |
| Published: | 1978 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:25:00 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Nuala O'Faolain |
| Contributor: | Hasan Karmi |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Islam; Religious architecture |
| Footage description: | The programme opens with photographs of mosques over which Karmi reads the stipulation in the Koran that mosques must face Mecca. Over an animated diagram of a typical mosque layout he explains origin and importance of the qibla axis and the mihrab niche. Stills of mosque interiors. Shots of prayers being said in a mosque. Sounds of muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Karmi explains why the calls are made and how they affect the design of mosques. Shots of muslims making their ablutions, which Karmi explains over. Film of Muslims removing their shoes before entering a Birmingham mosque and covering their heads before entering a mosque in Jerusalem. Karmi explains these practices. The different levels of prayer are described with the help of an animated diagram. Muslims are seen at prayer. Translation of prayer is given in voice over. Stills of mosque interiors, specifically pulpits and dikka. The function of these is explained over. Karmi describes the replacement of respondents by microphones. Various details of mosque decorationare seen. Karmi explains the significance of ornate calligraphy and abstract patterns. The cosmology of mosque domes is explained over relevant stills. Film of the dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which Karmi describes over. Shots of Islamic tombs. The programme ends with the translation of a prayer over stills of various mosques. |
| Master spool number: | 6HT/72450 |
| Production number: | 00525_3275 |
| Videofinder number: | 1919 |
| Available to public: | no |
