(Encyclopedia) Geertz, Clifford JamesGeertz, Clifford Jamesgĭrts [key], 1926–2006, American cultural anthropologist, b. San Francisco. He was a professor of anthropology at the Univ. of Chicago from…
(Encyclopedia) Ershad, Hussain Muhammad, 1930–2019, Bangladeshi military and political leader, b. Cooch Behar (now part of West Bengal, India). Commissioned in Pakistan's army in 1952, he was a…
(Encyclopedia) Mohammed, W. Deen (Warith Deen Mohammed), 1933–2008, American Muslim leader, b. Detroit as Wallace Dean Muhammad. The son of Nation of Islam (Black Muslim) leader Elijah Muhammad, he…
(Encyclopedia) Mahmud of GhaznaMahmud of Ghaznamäm&oomacr;dˈ, gŭzˈna [key], 971?–1030, Afghan emperor and conqueror. He defeated (c.999) his elder brother to gain control of Khorasan (in Iran)…
(Encyclopedia) Pirenne, HenriPirenne, HenriäNrēˈ pērĕnˈ [key], 1862–1935, Belgian historian. He was for many years a professor of history at the Univ. of Ghent. A leader of Belgian passive resistance…
(Encyclopedia) Bulgars, EasternBulgars, Easternbŭlˈgärz, –gərz [key], Turkic-speaking people, who possessed a powerful state (10th–14th cent.) at the confluence of the Volga and the Kama, E European…
(Encyclopedia) SyriacSyriacsērˈēăkˌ [key], late dialect of Aramaic, which is a West Semitic language (see Afroasiatic languages). The early Christians of Mesopotamia and Syria gave the Greek name…
(Encyclopedia) MeccaMeccamĕkˈə [key] or MakkahMakkahmăkˈə [key], city (1993 pop. 966,381), capital of the Hejaz, W Saudi Arabia. The birthplace c.a.d. 570 of Muhammad the Prophet, it is the holiest…
(Encyclopedia) caliphatecaliphatekălˈĭfātˌ, –fĭt [key], the rulership of Islam; caliphcaliphkălˈĭfˌ [key], the spiritual head and temporal ruler of the Islamic state. In principle, Islam is…
Holidays: Religious and Secular, 2005 In the United States, there are ten federal holidays set by law. Four are set by date (New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas Day). The…
