Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia)  Sharpton, Rev. Al (Alfred Charles Sharpton), 1954- , African-American minister and civil rights activist, b, Brownsville, Brooklyn, N.Y. A child-prodi...

(Encyclopedia) Tahmasp täˈmäsp [key], 1514–76, shah of Persia (1524–76), son and successor of Ismail and the second of the Safavid dynasty. He successfully repulsed persistent invasions by the Uzbeks. Sulayma...

(Encyclopedia) Sunni so͞oˈnī [key] [Arab. Sunna,=tradition], from ahl al-sunnah wa-l-jamaa [Arab.,=the people of the custom of the Prophet and community], the largest division of Islam. Sunni Islam is the heir to...

(Encyclopedia) Shushtar sho͞oshtärˈ [key], town (1991 pop. 70,294), Khuzestan prov., SW Iran, on the Karun River. It has irrigated agriculture and has long been known for its brocaded textiles, metalwork, and eng...

(Encyclopedia) Sheba, biblical name of a region, called in Arabic Saba, of S Arabia, including present-day Yemen and the Hadhramaut. Its inhabitants were called Sabaeans or Sabeans. According to some passages in Gen...

(Encyclopedia) Khoy, Khoi khvōˈē [key], city (1991 pop. 137,885), West Azerbaijan prov., NW Iran. It is the trade center for a fertile, irrigated farm region that produces grain, fruit, and timber. Because of it...

(Encyclopedia) Hegira or Hejira both: hĭjīˈrə, hĕjˈərə [key] [Ar.,=Hijra=breaking off of relations], the departure of the prophet Muhammad from Mecca in Sept., 622. Muhammad was a monotheist and preached aga...

(Encyclopedia) Ardebil ärdəbēlˈ [key], town, NW Iran, near the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is a market center for a fertile agricultural region. Carpets and rugs are produced in the t...

(Encyclopedia) Arabia ərāˈbēə [key], peninsula (1991 est. pop. 35,000,000), c.1,000,000 sq mi (2,590,000 sq km), SW Asia. It is bordered on the W by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, on the S by the Gulf of Ad...

(Encyclopedia) Hail häˈēl, hīl [key], city, N central Saudi Arabia. The city grew because of its location ...