Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Minuf

(Encyclopedia)Minuf mĭno͞ofˈ [key], town (1986 pop. 69,673), N Egypt, between the Rashid (Rosetta) and Dumyat (Damietta) branches of the Nile River. It is the trade center for an irrigated agricultural region th...

Qusayr, Al

(Encyclopedia)Qusayr, Al äl ko͞osārˈ [key], town (1986 pop. 19,997), E Egypt, on the Red Sea. The ancient Leucus Limen, it was once a major Egyptian port and the focus of several trade routes. It was formerly k...

Isis, in Egyptian religion

(Encyclopedia)Isis īˈsĭs [key], nature goddess whose worship, originating in ancient Egypt, gradually extended throughout the lands of the Mediterranean world during the Hellenistic period and became one of the ...

Gad

(Encyclopedia)Gad, in the Bible, son of Jacob and Zilpah and eponymous founder of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Its allotment was half of Gilead; this was the land best suited to the pastoral life, which Gad, lik...

Ptah

(Encyclopedia)Ptah ptä [key], in Egyptian religion, great god of Memphis. He was one of the important gods of ancient Egypt and, according to Memphite theology, created the universe through the thought of his hear...

Travancore

(Encyclopedia)Travancore trăvənkôrˈ [key], former princely state, 7,622 sq mi (19,741 sq km), SW India, on the Arabian Sea. It is now in Kerala state. The region of Travancore has coastal lowlands (protected by...

Hodgkin, Dorothy Mary Crowfoot

(Encyclopedia)Hodgkin, Dorothy Mary Crowfoot, 1910–94, English chemist and X-ray crystallographer, b. Egypt. She received the 1964 Nobel Prize in chemistry for determining the structure of biochemical compounds (...

Heracleopolis

(Encyclopedia)Heracleopolis hərăkˌlēŏpˈəlĭs [key], ancient city, N Egypt, just S of El Faiyum. One of the oldest Egyptian cities, it was in existence before 3000 b.c. and was the capital (c.2155–c.2050) o...

Bourguiba, Habib

(Encyclopedia)Bourguiba, Habib häˈbēb bo͝orgēˈbə [key], 1903–2000, Tunisian statesman, president of Tunisia (1957–87), b. Monastir. Early active in the Destour party, he was at first an advocate of close...

Sokoto

(Encyclopedia)Sokoto sōkōˈtō, sōˈkətō [key], city (1987 est. pop. 164,000), NW Nigeria, on the Sokoto River. It is the commercial center for a wide region and a collection place for hides, skins, and peanut...