Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

320 results found

Tabari

(Encyclopedia)Tabari (Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari) täbäˈrē [key], c.839–c.923, Arab historian and commentator. The name Tabari was given him because he was born in Tabaristan, Persia. He traveled w...

Sher Ali

(Encyclopedia)Sher Ali shēr älēˈ, shâr [key], 1825–79, emir of Afghanistan (1863–79), son of Dost Muhammad. His succession was opposed by other members of his family, notably his brothers. Sher Ali turned ...

Essaouira

(Encyclopedia)Essaouira ĕsəwērˈə [key], city, W Morocco, on the Atlantic Ocean. Essaouira's pleasant climate and picturesque location, buildings, and ruins have made it a tourist resort. Fishing and cabinetry ...

Hasan

(Encyclopedia)Hasan häsänˈ [key], c.625–c.669; son of Ali and Fatima (daughter of Muhammad the Prophet). When Ali was killed in 661, Hasan became caliph, but he was not strong enough to withstand the threat of...

Frazier, Joe

(Encyclopedia)Frazier, Joe (William Joseph Frazier), 1944–2011, African-American boxer, b. Beaufort, S.C. Known for a brawling style and devastating left hook, “Smokin' Joe” won Olympic gold in 1964 and turne...

Liaquat Ali Khan

(Encyclopedia)Liaquat Ali Khan lēäˈkət älēˈ kän [key], 1895–1951, first prime minister of Pakistan. He was educated at Aligarh Muslim Univ. and at Oxford and was admitted to the English bar in 1922. A yea...

Kukawa

(Encyclopedia)Kukawa ko͞oˈkä [key], town, NE Nigeria. It is in a farming and salt-mining region. Kukawa was founded in 1814 by Muhammad al-Kanemi of the state of Bornu. The capital and chief commercial center of...

Ahmad Shah

(Encyclopedia)Ahmad Shah äkhmädˈ shäˈ [key], c.1723–1773, Afghan ruler (1747–73), founder of the Durani dynasty. His success in commanding Afghan forces in India for Nadir Shah of Iran won him the rule of ...

Tewfik Pasha

(Encyclopedia)Tewfik Pasha (Muhammad Tewfik) toufēkˈ päshäˈ [key], 1852–92, khedive of Egypt (1879–92). He acceded to office when his father, Ismail Pasha, was deposed. In 1880, Tewfik accepted joint Frenc...

Rabat

(Encyclopedia)Rabat räbätˈ [key], city (1994 pop. 787,745), capital of Morocco, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Bou Regreg estuary, opposite Salé. Silting problems have diminished the city's role as a...

Browse by Subject