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Rub al Khali

(Encyclopedia)Rub al Khali ro͞ob äl khäˈlē [key] [Arab.,=empty quarter], great desert of the Arabian peninsula, c.225,000 sq mi (582,750 sq km); one of the largest sand deserts in the world. The desert occupie...

Ryazanov, Eldar Aleksandrovich

(Encyclopedia)Ryazanov, Eldar Aleksandrovich, 1927–2015, Russian film director and screenwriter, b. Samara, grad. State Institute of Cinematography (1950). Probably Russia's most popular filmmaker, he renowned fo...

Belaúnde Terry, Fernando

(Encyclopedia)Belaúnde Terry, Fernando fārnänˈdō bāläo͞onˈdā tāˈrē [key], 1912–2002, president of Peru (1963–68, 1980–85). A successful architect, he served in the chamber of deputies (1945–48)...

Tibaldi, Pellegrino

(Encyclopedia)Tibaldi, Pellegrino pāl-lāgrēˈnō tēbälˈdē [key], 1527–96, Italian baroque painter and architect, whose real name was Pellegrino di Tibaldo de' Pellegrini. He studied in Bologna, and his ear...

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...

triforium

(Encyclopedia)triforium trīfôrˈēəm [key], in church architecture, an arcaded gallery above the arches of the nave. In the interiors of medieval churches each bay of the nave wall customarily had three division...

Vignola, Giacomo da

(Encyclopedia)Vignola, Giacomo da jäˈkōmō dä vēnyōˈlä [key], 1507–73, one of the foremost late Renaissance architects in Italy. His real name was Giacomo Barozzi or Barocchio. Appointed (1550) papal arch...

Carver, Jonathan

(Encyclopedia)Carver, Jonathan, 1710–80, American explorer, b. Weymouth, Mass. He served in the French and Indian War and in 1766 was hired by Robert Rogers to undertake a journey to some of the Western tribes. H...

Tandja, Mamadou

(Encyclopedia)Tandja, Mamadou mämädo͞oˈ tänˈjä [key], 1938–2020, Nigerien political leader, president of Niger (1999–2010). He attended military schools in Madagascar and Mali, joining the army in the mi...

Bruttium

(Encyclopedia)Bruttium brŭˈtēəm [key], ancient region, S Italy, roughly occupying the present Calabria, the “toe” of the Italian peninsula. Bruttium faced Sicily across the Strait of Messina. Inhabited in t...