<p style="text-align: justify;">Wales: land of legendary dragons and male-voice choirs, of the cragged beauty of Snowdonia and the indefatigable lungs of the singer Tom Jones. Or land of old Arabic coins and lost Qurans, Sufi mystics and Muslim sons of empire. In this episode, we uncover fascinating and surprising facets of Islamic history in this little-known corner of Europe. We begin by introducing Wales itself, then asking what it was about this country that attracted Muslim individuals and artifacts alike. Suitably prepared, we board our podcast tour bus, stopping at key sites with very different stories. Along the way, we take in the library of a Christian monastery, the dockyards of the capital Cardiff, and the seaside resort of sunny Rhyl during the dark days of World War Two. Nile Green talks to Abdul-Azim Ahmed, author of <em>Muslim Wales: A History in 9 Places </em>(Seren Books, 2026).</p>

akbarschamber

Akbar’s Chamber offers a non-political, non-sectarian and non-partisan space for exploring the past and present of Islam. It has no political or theological bias other than a commitment to the Socratic method (which is to say that questions lead us to understanding) and the empirical record (which is to say the evidence of the world around us). By these methods, Akbar’s Chamber is devoted to enriching public awareness of Islam and Muslims both past and present. The podcast aims to improve understanding of Islam in all its variety, in all regions of the world, by inviting experts to share their specialist knowledge in terms that we can all understand.

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