* The Israeli Dervish (2013)

We follow one man as he becomes the only Israeli granted access to the inner sanctum of the whirling Dervish order. Miki Cohen is a 58-year-old college teacher who has 'discovered' the works of Jalal ad-Din Rumi, a 13th-century Muslim poet and Sufi mystic. Attracted by Rumi's writings and philosophy, Miki translates his works into Hebrew and practices whirling in worship. What makes Cohen's story so remarkable is that he is an Israeli. The son of holocaust survivors and a veteran of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Cohen found himself searching for answers to his spiritual identity.

* Pencils and Bullets (2013)

Having the chance to attend school, two Turkmen girls in Afghanistan reveal their hopes and fears for the future. Considerably improved access to education, especially for girls, is perhaps one of the most dramatic social changes in Afghanistan in the last 12 years. Since 2001, when the Taliban were toppled from power by US-backed Afghan forces, three million girls have returned to school. Women were previously banned from work and education under Taliban rule. But periodic attacks against female students, their teachers and their school buildings, continue. Produced by Al Jazeera.

* Abu Dhabi: Between Tradition and 21st Century (2012)

How the capital of the United Arab Emirates has merged its ancient customs with the modern world, preserving traditional activities including camel racing

The people of Abu Dhabi are rightly proud of their history and heritage, key aspects of the emirate's attraction to visitors. Given the pace of development and change in recent years, it is considered a priority to safeguard the unique crafts, artefacts and architecture that define the emirate's culture. The Future While looking back with pride, the Government and people of Abu Dhabi are also looking forward to a still brighter future. Blessed with substantial untapped oil wealth to safeguard the emirate's growth and development, Abu Dhabi is nevertheless seeking to diversify its economy and enhance its environment still further. In this quest, tourism has been earmarked for a specially important role. As a clean, green industry that promotes international friendship and goodwill, tourism is seen as an ideal means of applying Abu Dhabi's strong tradition of hospitality to good effect.

* Al-Nakba (2013)

Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures. "The Nakba did not begin in 1948. Its origins lie over two centuries ago." So begins this four-part series on the 'nakba', meaning the 'catastrophe', about the history of the Palestinian exodus that led to the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 and the establishment of the state of Israel. This sweeping history starts back in 1799 with Napoleon's attempted advance into Palestine to check British expansion and his appeal to the Jews of the world to reclaim their land in league with France.

The narrative moves through the 19th century and into the 20th century with the British Mandate in Palestine and comes right up to date in the 21st century and the ongoing 'nakba' on the ground. Arab, Israeli and Western intellectuals, historians and eye-witnesses provide the central narrative which is accompanied by archive material and documents, many only recently released for the first time.

* A History of Syria (2013)

Dan Snow travels to Syria to see how the country's fascinating and tumultuous history is shaping the current civil war. For thousands of years empires and despots have fought for control of the strategically vital region, leaving behind stunning temples, castles and mosques, as well as a diverse cultural heritage. Those conflicts - from the Roman conquests to the crusades, from the French colonial invasion to the military coups of the 1960s - loom large in today's conflict. For those confused by the seemingly random nature of the bloodshed and slaughter, Dan Snow unpicks the historic divisions between Sunnis and Alawites, Islamists and secularists, east and west.

* The War in October (2013)

Forty years on, Al Jazeera examines three weeks of war from which both Arabs and Israelis claimed to emerge victorious. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat once called it the last war. But 40 years after Sadat uttered those words, the Arab-Israeli conflict has no end in sight. The story of the war that Egyptians call the October War and Israelis know as the Yom Kippur War has never been thoroughly explored. So what happened during those three weeks in October 1973? To this day, both sides - Arabs and Israelis - claim to be the victors. It was a war that brought the world to the brink of a nuclear confrontation between two global superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union. It also gave the world a fuel crisis and a new entry in the dictionary 'Shuttle Diplomacy', as Henry Kissinger, the US secretary of state, flew from country to country in an effort to broker a peace deal. Egypt's 2011 revolution and the toppling of the old regime has resulted in the discovery and opening of many previously undisclosed files related to the war in October. It has provided us with unprecedented access to participants in it and to the places where they fought. The War in October draws on rare film archive selected from many sources around the world, along with graphic illustrations, maps, and animated sequences to plot the movements of forces in the many battlefields of the conflict. The series features interviews with people who planned and fought in the three weeks of battles that took place on both the Egyptian and Syrian front, including characters from other countries that participated in the fighting - Iraqi, Jordanian, Moroccan and Palestinian. The interviewees include experts, diplomats, officials and members of the military from the US, the former Soviet Union and Europe.

Week 1: The Crossing
The first part of the series focuses on the build-up to the war and the role of an Egyptian double agent. It examines Egypt and Syria's lightning attack against an unprepared Israel as well as the Israeli response, the mobilisation of reserves and stabilisation of the Syrian thrust into the Golan Heights in a bloody tank battle in what became known as the 'Valley of Tears'. And it looks at the failure of an Israeli counterattack in the Sinai and the Egyptian consolidation of bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal.

Week 2: The Heat of Battle
The second part of The October War investigates the Israeli counterattack on both fronts, pushing Syrian and supporting Arab forces back across the ceasefire line, and taking control of territory deep inside Syria and almost within reach of Damascus. On the Suez front, Israeli forces under Ariel Sharon identify a gap in the Egyptian Canal defences, and after fierce fighting in The Battle of the Chinese Farm, they succeed in crossing the Canal to occupy positions in Egypt, behind the Egyptian front line. Meanwhile differences emerge in the Arabs' war aims, as Syria looks to conquest, while Egypt seeks only to jump-start peace talks.

Week 3: The Battle and Beyond
Stalemate at the battlefront brings the threat of involvement by the two global superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union. For a full 24 hours the world stands on the brink of nuclear confrontation. Kissinger brokers a UN monitored peace deal, but turns a blind eye to an Israeli land grab. Arab oil-producing nations turn the screw on Western supporters of Israel by cutting production. Finally a ceasefire is agreed which paves the way for the eventual return of Sinai to Egypt. But the Arab-Israeli conflict continues to this day.

* Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World (2003)

Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World An intensely personal drama, the story of T.E. Lawrence is a story of courage and guilt, betrayal and triumph. The British Army Officer's role in the unification of the Arab tribes against the Turks during WWI endeared him to a generation of Bedouins, but it also set in motion a chain of events that Lawrence would be powerless to stop - events that would profoundly shape Arab-Western relations for generations to come. Filmed in England and throughout the Middle East, and including rare archival footage, Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World draws upon eyewitness accounts of Arabs, Westerners, and Lawrence himself to tell the poignant and dramatic tale of one of the 20th century's most influential yet enigmatic figures.

Episode 1
Born to unmarried parents in the strict Victorian era, Lawrence is embarrassed by his illegitimacy. He spends most of his childhood alone, driving for physical and academic achievement. At Oxford, his passion for medieval history results in an expedition to study the great crusader castles of Syria, where he gains invaluable knowledge of the Arabs. While employed as an archaeologist, he is recruited by British intelligence to monitor Turkish activities. He also befriends an Arab who will deeply influence his views towards Arabs and their cause. After World War I begins, Lawrence becomes an intelligence officer in the British Army. His mission is to gather information about an Arab Revolt planned against Turkish rulers. In return for a promise guaranteeing their independence, the Arabs join the war on the British side. But a secret agreement between the British and French will shatter this dream. Torn by conflicting loyalties, Lawrence continues to assist the Arabs, becoming more deeply entrenched in their fight. Against all odds, he leads the Arabs in a daring attack on the Turkish port of Aqaba. It is a stunning success and a turning point for Lawrence, the Arabs, and the British.

Episode 2
Flush with victory, Lawrence and the Arabs continue their attacks on the Turks, inflicting serious damage. Undertaking increasingly dangerous missions, Lawrence is captured alone and brutalized by the Turks, but escapes. Though the experience is disputed by many, Lawrence stands by his story. After the Turks surrender Jerusalem, the Balfour Declaration paves the way for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. In the hope that control of Damascus will legitimize Arab claims for independence, Lawrence leads the Arabs in an allied race for the city. However, soon after, the truth of the British deception is exposed. Now a celebrated figure to the British public, Lawrence returns to England and continues to fight for an Arab homeland in Europe. At the Paris Peace Conference, Britain, France and America draw new maps, ensuring their control over the Middle East. Reeling with guilt for his part in deceiving the Arabs, Lawrence retreats, enlisting as an ordinary recruit in the Royal Air Force. In 1935, he leaves the military for the last time, planning to spend his life in seclusion. Weeks later, he is killed in a motorcycle accident. Although gone, the impact of Lawrence's role on the Middle East will be felt for generations to come.

* In the Footsteps Of Thesiger (2013)

Adrian will be recounting his 44 day and 1000 mile crossing of the ‘Empty Quarter’ of the Arabian Desert by foot and camel in the trail of legendary 1940s British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger at the Royal Geographic Society, London, on Thursday 30th January 2014 at 7:00pm.

Former Gurkha officer and Arabic speaking Hayes first learned of Thesiger when he served a 2 year tour with the Sultan of Oman’s Forces in the 1990s and vowed one day to repeat his first crossing of the desert. In his powerful story, accompanied by stunning images and film, he speaks of the largely unheralded achievements of Thesiger and his companions’ journeys in the 1940s, the reality of attempting the same journey 65 years later with his own Bedouin team and the changed lives and culture of the Bedouin and peoples of the Arabian Peninsula.

Led by British explorer, Adrian Hayes, the three companions brave some of toughest conditions on earth as they navigate the journey by stars, sun, local knowledge and time travelled. The group walk and ride camels through the gruelling 1,600km trail in traditional Arabic clothes and follow a modest diet. From the monsoon- drenched tropical forest of Salah, to Oman and over some of the most dangerous dunes in the world, through the Empty Quarter, where even the most accustomed locals seldom dare to tread. With dramatic adventure, genuine hardship, fascinating science and historical legacy, this audacious re-enactment captures culture, heritage and action all in one unforgettable journey.

Adrian Hayes is a British record-breaking polar explorer and adventurer, best known for reaching the three extreme points of the Earth—the Three Poles Challenge—which involved walking all the way to the North Pole, South Pole and summiting Mt. Everest, all in the shortest period of time (1 year, 217 days - his first Guinness World record).

* Islam: The Untold Story (2012)

In this ground-breaking film, historian Tom Holland explores how a new religion - Islam - emerged from the seedbed of the ancient world, and asks what we really know for certain about its rise. The result is an extraordinary detective story. Traditionally, Muslims and non-Muslims alike have believed that Islam was born in the full light of history. But a large number of historians now doubt that presumption, and question much of what Muslim tradition has to tell us about the birth of Islam.

* Argo: Inside Story (2013)

It's awards season and movie critics are buzzing over Ben Affleck's Argo, which chronicles the CIA's attempt to rescue six Americans during the Iran hostage crisis. But what really happened during the covert operation? And did the events really unfold as seen in the movie? In ARGO: Inside Story, Discovery Channel gains access to the top players involved to hear their side of the story, including the CIA's "chief of disguise," Tony Mendez, who was called upon to devise the rescue plan. The one-hour special gives an inside look at the dramatic escape and how Mendez forged identity documents and elaborate disguises to get past the security agents at the Tehran airport.

* Arabia: A Story of the Golden Ages (2011)

Takes viewers deep into an exotic land steeped in 2,000 years of ancient history and unique customs not found anywhere else in the world. As if on a magic carpet ride across this desert kingdom, audiences will discover the lost city of Madain Saleh, explore its ancient tombs, travel with a camel caravan along the early frankincense trade route, survive a desert sandstorm, dive the coral reefs and shipwrecks of the Red Sea, experience the warmth of the world-famous Beduoin hospitality, and join in the annual hajj pilgrimage, where 2 million Muslims gather in Meccah in the single largest gathering of people on Earth. They will also discover modern day Arabia, which finds itself in the midst of monumental change.