Christian Lange examines the role of the five senses in Islam – through studying smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch he reveals the richness of a world religion.

Many people, including Muslims, have a uniform, static image of Islam. However, there is enormous diversity in how Islam is experienced across different regions and periods. In The Five Senses, Islamic scholar and Arabist Christian Lange takes us on a journey through the multifaceted nature of Islam. He does so based on his research into the five senses: the windows through which we listen, see, hear, smell and feel the world. Strolling through the fragrant streets of Fez, Morocco, Lange shares his personal motivation for this unique, long-term project and his mission as a non-Muslim to bring East and West closer together. What is it like to step into another person’s world?

Five Senses is part of Ammodo Docs, a series of short documentaries about original minds in arts and science.

To complement this video, check out the open-access book Islamic Sensory History, Volume 2: 600–1500, which is co-edited by Christian Lange and consists of translated texts related to the senses.