January 18, 2024 – Listen here
How did the great divide within Islam, the split between Sunni and Shia, develop? We trace how the great 16th century confrontation between the Ottomans of Turkey and the Safavids of Iran cemented what had previously been a much more porous division. Barnaby Rogerson joins author Barnaby Rogerson to discuss one of the crucial turning points of Persian history

January 10, 2023 – Listen here
Selim II leads the Ottomans. Marco Brigadin the Venetians. They will clash over the island of Cyprus. But who will be victorious, and who will be defeated (and flayed)? The two sides meet on this Mediterranean island in the run-up to one of the greatest naval battles in history - the Battle of Lepanto. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Barnaby Rogerson to discuss the Ottoman siege of Cyprus, as they set the stage for Thursday's episode on the Battle of Lepanto.

January 12, 2023 – Listen here
Dawn breaks on the 7th October 1571 over the Gulf of Patras. On this day, the Holy League will face down the Ottomans in one of the most pivotal battles in Ottoman history. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Barnaby Rogerson to discuss the Battle of Lepanto, its significance, and whether it really was the last crusade.

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The Life of Muhammad was a 2011 British three-part documentary miniseries examining the life of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and the origins of Islam. The documentary was directed by Faris Kermani, written by Ziauddin Sardar, and presented by Rageh Omaar.

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This is the story of the caliph, a title that originated 1,400 years ago and that spanned one of the greatest empires the world has ever known. In this episode of the Caliph, Al Jazeera tells the story of the caliphate, providing a fascinating insight into how the first caliphs of Islam built and expanded their empire.

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For nearly 800 years the Moors ruled in Granada. And for nearly as long in a wider territory that became known as Moorish Spain or Al Andalus. In this episode of Short History of the World, we explore the rich architectural legacy of the Moors, the dynasties that built an empire, and what they left behind.

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In the seventh century, a great new religion was born and rose up in the deserts of what is now Saudi Arabia. Within 200 years, the religion had spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and then through the Moors into Southern Spain and Portugal. By the 13th century it had spread through the Ottomans into Eastern Europe, and by the 15th, through the Mughal’s to India. In this episode of Empire Builders, we explore ten sites that made history as we chart the rise and fall of these great Muslim empires.

Using CGI, contributions from experts in their fields and re-enactments, we visit sites such as the Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem, the Great Mosque of Damascus in Iran and the Taj Mahal in India.

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February 1, 2024. From the Destinations Holiday & Travel Show at London’s Olympia, the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes author and publisher Barnaby Rogerson. He talks to Clare Clark about his book ‘The House Divided: Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East.’

September 2024. Listen here
Renowned experts Barnaby Rogerson and Eugene Rogan, and chair Aaqil Ahmed, take a deep dive into the watershed moments that helped make and, at times, break the modern Middle East, a diverse region that is both incredibly culturally rich and yet fragile from the effects of empire and past and present power rivalries.

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Barnaby Rogerson joins Ryan Murdock to talk about the origins of the Sunni-Shia schism, the differences between them, and the current ethnic and linguistic rivalries plaguing the Middle East.

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January 2014. Barnaby Rogerson tells the stories behind our iconic numbers. The stories unfold from millions to zero -- from the number of the beast (666) to the seven deadly sins, the twelve signs of the zodiac to the four suits of a pack of cards.

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