The World's Most Notorious Despots by Borgna Brunner The Me Millennium Infoplease's top ten despots of the last thousand years share a few common bonds. Each had a penchant for sadism. And…
(Encyclopedia) Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail, al-Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail, al-b&oomacr;k-härēˈ [key] (c.810–70), Arabic scholar, b. Bukhara. He traveled widely over Muslim regions and made an…
(Encyclopedia) Ulugh-Beg or Ulug-BegUlugh-Begboth: &oomacr;ˈl&oomacr;g bĕg [key], 1394–1449, Timurid ruler and astronomer. The grandson of Timur (or Tamerlane), he succeeded to the Timurid…
(Encyclopedia) ZeravshanZeravshanzyĕrəfshänˈ [key], river, c.460 mi (740 km) long, rising in the Turkistan Range of the Pamir-Alai mountain system, in Tajikistan. It flows westward through the…
These books were chosen by a committee of librarians, educators, and other professionals for the Association for Library Service to Children. Younger Readers…
(Encyclopedia) SogdianaSogdianasŏgdēāˈnə [key], part of the ancient Persian Empire in central Asia between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (Syr Darya) rivers. Corresponding to the later emirate of…
(Encyclopedia) Ibn BatutaIbn Batutaĭˈbən bät&oomacr;ˈtä [key], 1304?–1378?, Muslim traveler, b. Tangier. No other medieval traveler is known to have journeyed so extensively. In 30 years (from c.…
(Encyclopedia) JagataiJagataijăgətīˈ [key], d. 1242, Mongol conqueror; son of Jenghiz Khan. He led large armies on his father's campaigns of conquest. When the empire was divided in 1227 among…
(Encyclopedia) TashkentTashkenttăshkĕntˈ, –kĕndˈ [key] or ToshkentTashkenttŏsh– [key], city (1992 pop. 2,133,000), capital of Tashkent region and of Uzbekistan, in the foothills of the Tian Shan mts…
(Encyclopedia) Tian Shan or Tien ShanTian Shanboth: tēĕn shän [key] [Chin.,=celestial mountains], mountain system of central Asia, extending c.1,500 mi (2,410 km) from the Pamir Mts., Tajikistan, NE…
