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Ahmed I

(Encyclopedia)Ahmed I äˈmĕd [key], 1589–1617, Ottoman sultan (1603–17), son and successor of Muhammad III to the throne of the Ottoman Empire. The chief event of his reign was the Treaty of Zsitvatorok (1606...

Memphis, city, ancient Egypt

(Encyclopedia)Memphis mĕmˈfĭs [key], ancient city of Egypt, capital of the Old Kingdom (c.3100–c.2258 b.c.), at the apex of the Nile delta and 12 mi (18 km) from Cairo. It was reputedly founded by Menes, the f...

Heliopolis, ancient city, Egypt

(Encyclopedia)Heliopolis hēlēŏpˈəlĭs [key] [Gr.,=city of the sun], ancient city, N Egypt, in the Nile delta, 6 mi (10 km) below modern Cairo. It was noted as the center of sun worship, and its god Ra or Re wa...

Berenice, city, ancient Egypt

(Encyclopedia)Berenice or Berenike, city of ancient Egypt, on the Red Sea. Founded by Ptolemy II and named in his mother's honor, it commanded the trade with Arabia and India, flourishing from the 3d cent. b.c. to ...

Canopus, city, ancient Egypt

(Encyclopedia)Canopus kənōˈpəs [key], ancient city of N Egypt, 12 mi (19 km) E of Alexandria. Canopus, the pilot of Menelaus' ship, was said to have died there. In Hellenistic times Canopus was known as a pleas...

Tiy , queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Amenhotep III

(Encyclopedia)Tiy tē [key], fl. 1385 b.c., queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Amenhotep III. Of humble origin, she was remarkable for her influence in state affairs in the reigns of her husband and of Ikhnaton, her s...

Tiy , queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Ramses III

(Encyclopedia)Tiy, fl. 1167 b.c., queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Ramses III. To gain the throne for her son, Pentewere, she led a palace conspiracy to displace her aging husband. At the last minute the plot was di...

Epirus

(Encyclopedia)Epirus ĕpīˈrəs [key], ancient country of Greece, on the Ionian Sea and W of Macedon and Thessaly, a region now occupied by NW Greece and S Albania. At the time of Homer, Epirus was known as the ho...

Umayyad

(Encyclopedia)Umayyad o͞omäˈyäd [key], the first Islamic dynasty (661–750). Their reign witnessed the return to leadership roles of the pre-Islamic Arab elite, and the rejuvenation of tribal loyalties. The Ba...

Shafi'i, al-

(Encyclopedia)Shafi'i, al- (Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i), 767–820, Islamic jurist. Raised and educated in Mecca and Medina, he taught in Egypt and Baghdad. His teachings laid the groundwork for the...