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The Bundahisn is the Zoroastrian creation story. At once an epic and encyclopedia, it’s also a window into the end of Zoroastrianism’s ascendancy in Iran.

Between 602 and 628 CE, Rome fought Persia for the very last time. The war marked the end of the ancient world, and the beginning of the Middle Ages.

The hadiths are second only to the Qur’an in Islam. Short narratives about the Prophet Muhammad – the things he said and did – hadiths have been a source of wisdom and wisdom and inspiration for Muslims for more than a thousand years.

From 750-861, a dynasty of ten caliphs seated in modern-day Iraq ruled one of history’s largest empires. The territory they lost and won, the wars they fought, and the cultural renaissance that they helped usher in all had far reaching impacts on world history.

The Umayyad Caliphate, from 661-750, became the largest empire the world had ever known, even as it suffered through two civil wars and significant internal divisions. This episode covers its overall military, political, and cultural history.

The Rashidun caliphate, from 632-661, completely changed the history of the world. Learn the story of the greatest imperial expansion of the first millennium, together with the complex political and theological history behind it.

The Qur’an has deep roots in the Bible and in the unique religious climate of Late Antique Mecca. Learn about its many references to the Bible and ancient Arabian religion in this episode.

Learn about the foundations of Islamic Law in the Qur’an – the 350 or so verses that tell believers what they’re required to do, and what’s prohibited.