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Marabouts

(Encyclopedia)Marabouts mârˈəbo͞ots [key] [Arab.,=devotee hermit], members of a Muslim religious and military community, precursors of the Almoravids. They spread from NW Africa into Spain in the 11th and 12th ...

Karaman

(Encyclopedia)Karaman kärämänˈ [key], town (1990 pop. 76,682), S central Turkey, at the northern foot of the Taurus Mts. The ancient Laranda, Karaman was renamed after the chieftain of a Turkic tribe who conque...

Khan, Sadiq Aman

(Encyclopedia)Khan, Sadiq Aman, 1970–, British political leader. The son of Pakistani immigrants, he studied law at the Univ. of North London (now London Metropolitan Univ.) and the College of Law (now the Univ. ...

Solapur

(Encyclopedia)Solapur sōˈləpo͝or, sōləpo͝orˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 620,846), Maharashtra state, W central India, on the Deccan plateau. Once a fortress town, Solapur is now a district administrative center...

Baladhuri, al-

(Encyclopedia)Baladhuri, al- äl-bäläˈᵺo͝orē [key], d. c.892, Arab historian. One of the most important Arab historians, he spent most of his life in Baghdad and enjoyed great influence at the court of the c...

Varanasi

(Encyclopedia)Varanasi bənäˈrĭz [key], city (1991 pop. 1,030,863), Uttar Pradesh state, N central India, on the Ganges River. Although a rail hub and trade center, Varanasi is chiefly important as a holy city. ...

Islam

(Encyclopedia)Islam ĭslämˈ, ĭsˈläm [key], [Arab.,=submission to God], world religion founded by the Prophet Muhammad. Founded in the 7th cent., Islam is the youngest of the three monotheistic world religions ...

Chishti, Muin ad-Din Hasan

(Encyclopedia)Chishti, Muin ad-Din Hasan mo͞oēnˈ äd-dĭn häsänˈ chĭshˈtē [key], 1142–1236, Indian Muslim saint, b. Sistan, Persia. He founded a Sufi mystic order responsible for spreading Islamic teachi...

Narayanganj

(Encyclopedia)Narayanganj or Narayungunj both: näräˈyəngənj [key], city (1991 pop. 296,000), E central Bangladesh, at the confluence of the Lakhya and Dhaleshwari rivers. It is the river port for Dhaka and Ban...

Munger

(Encyclopedia)Munger or Monghyr both: mŭngˈgĭr [key], city (1991 pop. 150,112), Bihar state, NE India, on the Ganges River. It is a district administrative center and a grain market, with important road, rail, a...