In this episode of The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast, Mourad Tadghout examines the central role of Arabic manuscript culture in shaping the intellectual history of the medieval world. It follows the production, circulation, and transformation of manuscripts from major centers such as Baghdad, Cairo, Córdoba, Fes, and beyond, tracing how texts moved across linguistic, religious, and geographic boundaries.

In this episode, Sarah McNamer speaks with MMA producer Reed O’Mara about one of the most playful and beloved medieval manuscripts of all time, the Bodley Alexander. Through careful analysis of the imagery both obvious and hidden in this manuscript, McNamer suggests that its intended owner was not a king, as has been previously suggested, but rather a young prince.

This episode of The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast takes a bird’s eye view of the global medieval world, following the trade and giving of arctic gyrfalcons across vast distances. Caitlin, Sam, Bjørn, and Ragnar discuss the capture and keeping of these rare birds in Scandinavia and their cultural significance in Europe, China, and the Islamic world.