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Kayseri

(Encyclopedia)Kayseri kīˈsĕrēˌ [key], city (1990 pop. 416,276), capital of Kayseri prov., central Turkey, at the foot of Mt. Erciyas. It is an important commercial center and has textile mills, sugar refinerie...

Cumans

(Encyclopedia)Cumans or Kumans both: ko͞oˈmänz [key], nomadic East Turkic people, identified with the Kipchaks (or the western branch of the Kipchaks) and known in Russian as Polovtsi. Coming from NW Asian Russi...

Hulagu Khan

(Encyclopedia)Hulagu Khan ho͞oläˈgo͞o khän [key], 1217–65, Mongol conqueror, grandson of Jenghiz Khan. His brother Mangu, grand khan of the Mongols, directed him to quell a revolt in Persia. In 1256, in the ...

Suzdal

(Encyclopedia)Suzdal so͞ozˈdəl [key], city, central European Russia, NE Moscow. Its major industry is tourism. Founded c.1024 as a fortress town, it developed from the 11th to 12th cent. as an important city of ...

Urgench , ancient city, present-day Turkmenistan

(Encyclopedia)Urgench o͝orgyĕnchˈ [key], ancient city of central Asia, on the site of present-day Kunya-Urgench (Köhne Ürgenç), in Turkmenistan. It lies c.85 mi (140 km) NW of modern Urganch, Uzbekistan. A ma...

Sogdiana

(Encyclopedia)Sogdiana sŏgdēāˈnə [key], part of the ancient Persian Empire in central Asia between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (Syr Darya) rivers. Corresponding to the later emirate of Bukhara and region...

Ryazan

(Encyclopedia)Ryazan ryəzänˈyə [key], city (1989 pop. 515,000), capital of Ryazan region, E central European Russia, on the Oka River. Industries include oil refining, lignite processing, and the manufacture of...

Rages

(Encyclopedia)Rages rāˈjē [key], ancient and medieval city of Persia, located on the site of modern-day Ray, N Iran, a suburb of Tehran. Rages is mentioned in the Avesta and in the inscriptions at Behistun. Beca...

Gilan

(Encyclopedia)Gilan or Ghilan both: gēlänˈ [key], province, 14,709 sq mi (38,106 sq km), NW Iran, bounded in the N by ...

Miskolc

(Encyclopedia)Miskolc mĭshˈkôlts [key], city (1991 est. pop 194,000), NE Hungary, on the Sajó River. Hungary's second largest city and a major industrial center, Miskolc has large iron and steel mills, lime and...