Shows
The 1001 Arabian KnightsThe One God, The Many Faiths (C): The Quest for Ultimate Knowledge"Gnosis" is a Greek word which means "knowledge" or "awareness" and it is precisely with this in mind that Gnosticism is born. Gnosticism can be best described as a mode of being that is optimal to for attaining the "Ultimate Knowledge". It is a state of mind and a mode of being that brings you closer to the Divine. Far from the dogmatic approach of institutionalized religions, Gnosticism seeks to focus on the spiritual aspects of religion. This spiritual approach to religion, especially with Christianity is exactly what many "Prophets" tried to introduce into a world that they saw...
2022-01-081h 55
The 1001 Arabian KnightsOne God, Many Faiths (B) - Split of the DivineAs turmoil, chaos, rampant corruption, crippling poverty and political rivalries ravaged the Roman Empire, a man rose from among the people and preached a message of hope, piety, individual sovereignty and justice for the poor, destitute people of Judea. This man, a beacon of light in a sea of darkness was the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth (Peace be Upon Him). However, was he simply human or was he more? Was he Son of Man? Son of God? Or perhaps God in flesh? It was this question above so many others which his followers had following his death and resurrection. A...
2021-08-071h 38
The 1001 Arabian KnightsOne God, Many Faiths (A): The JudahitesIn the hills of Judea there lay a people rooted in the land, resisting all those who came to disturb their worship of Elohim. These are the Hebrew tribes who in centuries would come to form what we know as the Jewish people. From them comes the legacy of all Abrahamic faiths: there is but one true God. In this episode the 1001 Knights team discusses the story of these people, the Roman genocide, and their impact on their Arab neighbors. Why did the Jewish people resist the Greeks and Romans so fiercely? How and why were they expelled from...
2021-05-281h 36The 1001 Arabian KnightsOne Thousand and One GodsBorn of smokeless fires and scorching winds. They are the shadows on the walls, the creatures of the night, the others. Imagine a world, where sandstorms are mighty creatures settling their scores. Imagine a world where these creatures are soul mates and blood brothers, who imitate your every move and your every speech. They follow you around, live with you and eat with you - they can even enter your body and drive you mad. This is how the ancient Arabs viewed their world and the Djinn which inhabited it. Like us, good and evil live within them...
2021-03-061h 33The 1001 Arabian KnightsA Culture of HonourPoetry, Generosity and Knighthood (Furusiyah). These are the big 3 when it comes to the culture of the ancient Arabs. As romantic as it is brutal one can not deny the importance that this culture has on Islam and on the world. It exported the concept of the romantic knight in armor to Europe and the mystical creatures of Djinn to Persia. Honor is the central theme of this culture. Clans wage war to restore their honor and kings sacrifice themselves to protect their honor. These are the ancient Arabs, the world's most honorable people. Come and join us on...
2021-02-271h 10The 1001 Arabian KnightsAn Age of Ignorance?In this first installment of our second season, we dive into the pre-Islamic era. Also known as the Jahiliyah period, the Age of Ignorance. This period is the ~400 years before Islam. It is commonly known that this era in Arab history was a period of barbaric practices, shameless display of nudity and low moral standards. But how true was this? Was the Jahiliyah period really an epoch of barbarity and savagery or was the Jahiliyah the era of eloquence, and as Ibn Qutaybah puts it: the defining age of "the world's bravest nation". How was the pre-Islamic era perceived...
2021-02-2036 minThe 1001 Arabian KnightsThe Lost City of PillarsWho are the 'Ad? Who are Thamud? Some swear they were giants who defied God because of their arrogance. The superstitious swear they are Djinn. Certain legends even describe them as one-armed, one-legged creatures from space. Others claim they never existed. Poets recall them fondly saying "if I had been the race of Ad and Iram". Cities of pillars never seen before in the land, homes carved into gigantic stones. These are Ad and Thamud. Ancient Arab civilizations that have equally captured the minds of the superstitious and the rational.
2021-02-131h 02The 1001 Arabian KnightsDhu Nuwas and the First MartyrsIn this episode our hosts Houston and Oban return to the land of Yemen, a land gripped by war between two powers who - by exploiting religious animosity - vie for control over the Middle East. This is not contemporary Yemen but the long ago story of Dhu Nuwas, the Jewish King of Himyar, and the tragedy of the Christians of Najran. This event has been portrayed in polemical fashion throughout the centuries. However, our hosts attempt to bring context and nuance to this often simplified chapter of the history of the Arabs. This was the story of patriots...
2021-01-301h 09The 1001 Arabian KnightsZenobia: Empress of the EastIn this episode Houston and Oban will take you on a voyage to discover the Syrian Queen of Arab origin: Zenobia of Palmyra. Known for her beauty, intelligence and her strong character, the Queen of Palmyra was hailed as a descendant of Cleopatra and a savior of her people. She led her armies in many campaigns to expand the territory of her empire, to defying both the Emperors of Rome and the Shahs of Iran. She is known in Syria as a symbol of rebellion and resistance against Imperialist forces. Her legacy looms large as does the presence...
2021-01-221h 34The 1001 Arabian Knights(C) The Nabataeans: Cities from the Stone, Gardens from the DesertIn this episode our hosts Houston and Oban examine the lost civilization of the Nabataeans. The people famed for their desert capital Petra, and in this discussion our hosts examine the city itself and the civilization that made it possible. Who were the Gods of the Nabataeans, what mysterious cults ruled this ancient land? How did they organize society, was this as the ancient writers say, a kingdom of equals? How did the Nabataeans build "the Dubai of the Classical World" from an inhospitable desert, and what did they leave behind after their fall? All these questions and more are...
2020-12-191h 29The 1001 Arabian Knights(B) The Nabataeans: Prophets and KingsIn this Episode the hosts Oban and Houston discuss the deaths of Jesus of Nazareth and John the Baptist. How a war over love and land broke out between the House of Herod and the Nabataean king. Finally, the hosts discuss how Paul the Apostle spread the Christian faith and how the Nabataean king played into this story. All this and more in this instalment of The 1001 Arabian Knights.
2020-12-1451 minThe 1001 Arabian Knights(A) The Nabataeans: World of the MessiahIn this episode our hosts Houston and Oban examine the lost civilization of the Nabataeans. The people famed for their desert capital Petra. Where did the Nabataean Arabs come from? How did they interact with their Jewish neighbours? How do the Nabataeans tie in with the story of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth? All these questions and more are explored in this episode of The 1001 Arabian Knights!
2020-12-0855 minThe 1001 Arabian KnightsBelief is Yemenite and Wisdom is YemeniteIn this episode our hosts Houston and Oban examine the pre-Islamic history of Yemen. How were the ancient Yemenite kingdoms organized? How were they related to the Arabs to their north? What was their relationship to the great powers of the age, especially Rome? All these questions and more are explored in this episode of The 1001 Arabian Knights!
2020-11-271h 12The 1001 Arabian KnightsFrom the Flood to the BattleIn this episode our hosts Houston and Oban seek to explore the stage on which the Arabs first entered the world. To bridge the gap between prehistory and the emergence of the Arabs as a distinct people. Where do our legends of "The Great Flood" come from? What great civilizations dominated the ancient middle east? Who was the first Arab in recorded history? All this and more will be answered in this episode of the 1001 Arabian Knights!
2020-11-171h 37The 1001 Arabian KnightsThe Origins of the ArabsIn this episode we discuss the mysterious origins of the Arab people through the lens of science and legend. We explore how, by tradition, the Arab people identify their origins in southern Arabia. How does this square with the genetic and linguistic evidence? Who were Adnan and Qahtan. How are their stories connected with the Abrahamic tradition? All this and more in this episode of the 1001 Arabian Knights!
2020-11-131h 15