It's fascinating to contrast the slow, steady expansion of Christianity over millenia with the almost viral outbreak of Islam which conquered everything from Persia to Spain in the course of a relatively short timespan. Hughes starts her inquiry in 1492, at the fall of the Moorish outposts in Spain, when Columbus met with Ferdinand and Isabella not just to set out on his expeditions, but also to celebrate the recent Christian victories in that country. Hughes then backtracks to give a concise yet precise overview of Islam's early history from Mohammed's first visions of Gabriel to the expansion in the middle east and northern Africa, finally hopping over the Straits of Gilbraltar to quickly overtake Spain and even venture as far north as France.

Hughes seems frankly indignant that history remembers the Moors as voracious conquerors, when the historical record shows that they were more often than not welcomed as liberators. Europe at least was in a state of disarray in the Middle Ages, with the Visigoths actually the bad guys, according to Hughes. Culture was at a low ebb everywhere when the Moors, with their love of art, architecture and the sciences, rode in to save the day and reintroduce these lost arts and sciences to the people they ostensibly conquered.

Hughes' examination is full of some really wonderful moments, including a nifty mathematical analysis of the famed Alhambra, where she shows that the entire structure is based on rectangles with diagonals the length of the square roots of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. There's also an emphasis on the love of learning of these early Moors, with whole buildings adorned with phrases and poems urging their readers to higher learning. Hughes reminds us that the angel Gabriel exhorted the illiterate Mohammed to learn how to read. Hughes doesn't shirk from rubbing the salt in a little bit into the Christian wound by mentioning how Cordoba's 70 libraries had millions of volumes when the biggest library in France at the time had 90. For lovers of Samuel Bronston's epic film El Cid there's also a recap of the actual historical figure tracing his mercenary roots (which make him much less of a Christian White Knight than he has been portrayed) and the impact he had on his times.

Throughout the 110 minute, two-part documentary, Hughes brings her sunny disposition and photogenic presence to a wealth of gorgeous locales across the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa. Hughes shows us everything from remarkable architecture, including such landmarks as the huge canopied archway of Fez to the unbelievably huge Cordoba Mosque filled with archway upon archway painted in bright red stripes, to beautiful shots of locales that were once arid and were brought to abundant life by the Moors' knowledge of irrigation technology.

This is an important historical piece that is incredibly relevant for our day and age, when Muslims are apt to be vilified by the actions of a few radicals, and when the actual genesis and early history of their religion is not only not widely known, but actually subject to falsehoods spread by dominant cultures that do not share their beliefs. Hughes does a formidable job of covering a wealth of information with a minimum of fuss and bother, proving her main thesis that the Moorish "invasion," such as it was, was most probably a saving grace for every culture it affected. While the Christian cultures were as apt to burn a book as to try to read it, the Muslim cultures were busy translating the great works of the Greeks into Arabic and helping to preserve them for future generations. Their incredible architectural prowess is still on display, especially in Northern Africa and Andalusian Spain. And for that we can all, no matter what our particular religious beliefs, be grateful.

The DVD

Video:
This is a very beautiful piece indeed with a nice enhanced 1.78:1 image that is full of clear and crisp colors. There are occasional moments of poor contrast which I attribute to the filming conditions which vary from oppressive sunlight to the dark shadowy confines of certain courtyards, but these are very minor qualms in an overall sterling visual presentation.

Sound:
The standard stereo soundtrack offers a nice balance between Hughes' onscreen hosting, voiceover, and some great ethnic musics. Separation and fidelity are above-average for a television presentation.

Extras:
As is usual with Acorn releases, you don't get much, aside from a review of Hughes' accomplishments, somewhat akin to a filmography.

Final Thoughts:
This is a thought-provoking piece that also happens to have a lot to look at and listen to. If we're ever going to move beyond the religious stereotypes that seem to have a lot of us boxed into our various corners, it's going to take outreach like this to fully understand how all cultures have benefitted by interaction (at least at times). When the Moors Ruled in Europe is highly recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet