(Encyclopedia) Umm al-QaiwainUmm al-Qaiwain&oomacr;m äl-kīwīnˈ [key], sheikhdom (1995 pop. 35,157), c.300 sq mi (780 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates, SE Arabia, on…
(Encyclopedia) Shatt al ArabShatt al Arabshät äl äˈräb [key], tidal river, 120 mi (193 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, flowing SE to the Persian Gulf, forming…
(Encyclopedia) Rub al KhaliRub al Khalir&oomacr;b 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…
(Encyclopedia) Sadr, Moktada or Moqtada al-Sadr, Moktada or Moqtada al-m&oobreve;khˈtädä ä-säˈdər [key], 1973?–, Iraqi Shiite cleric. The son of Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, who was…
(Encyclopedia) Banna, Hasan al-Banna, Hasan al-häsˈsän äl-bänˈnə [key], 1906–49, Egyptian religious and political leader; founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was involved with traditional Islamic…
(Encyclopedia) Abd al-HafizAbd al-Hafizäbˌdäl-häfēdˈ [key], 1875?–1937, sultan of Morocco (1908–12). Placed on the throne by the revolution that deposed his brother Abd al-Aziz IV, he was soon…
(Encyclopedia) Abd al-Hamid IAbd al-Hamid Iäbˌdäl-hämēdˈ [key] or AbdülhamitAbdülhamitTurk. äbdülˈhämēdˈ [key], 1725–89, Ottoman sultan (1774–89), brother and successor of Mustafa III. His reign, one…
(Encyclopedia) Abd al-MuminAbd al-Muminäbˌdäl-mŭˈmĭn [key], d. 1163, founder of the empire of the Almohads. He was the favorite of the Almohad religious reformer Ibn Tumart and became (1130) his…
