(Encyclopedia) Al Shabab or Al ShabaabAl Shabaab [key], [Arab.,=the youth], Islamic fundamentalist militia based in Somalia. One of several hardline Somali Islamist militias, Al Shabab has operated…
(Encyclopedia) Al HillahAl Hillahäl hĭlˈlä [key], city (1987 pop. 268,834), provincial capital, central Iraq, on a branch of the Euphrates River. It was built (c.1100) largely of material taken from…
(Encyclopedia) Al KarakAl Karakäl käräkˈ [key], town (1997 est. pop. 19,000), W central Jordan. It is also known as Krak. It is a road junction and an agricultural trade center. The ancient Kir Moab…
(Encyclopedia) Al-KhowarizmiAl-Khowarizmiäl-khōwärēzˈmē [key], fl. 820, Arab mathematician of the court of Mamun in Baghdad. His treatises on Hindu arithmetic and on algebra made him famous. He is…
(Encyclopedia) Al KufahAl Kufahäl k&oomacr;ˈfä [key], town, S central Iraq. Founded (638) by Caliph Umar I, it was one of the two Muslim centers (the other was Basra) of the early Ummayad caliphs.
(Encyclopedia) Al KutAl Kutäl k&oomacr;t [key], town, SE Iraq, on the Tigris River. It is a port and a market center for grains, dates, fruit, and vegetables. There is a large barrage on the…
