(Encyclopedia) immortality, attribute of deathlessness ascribed to the soul in many religions and philosophies. Forthright belief in immortality of the body is rare. Immortality of the soul is a…
(Encyclopedia) Kaaba or CaabaCaababoth: käˈbə or käˈəbə [key] [Arab.,=cube], the central, cubic, stone structure, covered by a black cloth, within the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The sacred…
(Encyclopedia) Mubarak, Muhammad HosniMubarak, Muhammad Hosnihōsˈnē m&oomacr;bəˈrək [key], 1928–2020, president of Egypt (1981–2011). Air force commander (1972–75) and vice president (1975–81) of…
(Encyclopedia) AverroësAverroësəvĕrˈōēz [key], Arabic Ibn Rushd, 1126–98, Spanish-Arab philosopher. He was far more important and influential in Jewish and Christian thought than in Islam. He was a…
(Encyclopedia) asceticismasceticisməsĕtˈĭsĭzəm [key], rejection of bodily pleasures through sustained self-denial and self-mortification, with the objective of strengthening spiritual life.…
(Encyclopedia) KanoKanokäˈnō [key], city (1991 est. pop. 595,000), N Nigeria. It is the trade and shipping center for an agricultural region where cotton, cattle, and about half of Nigeria's peanuts…
(Encyclopedia) Scanderbeg or SkanderbegScanderbegboth: skănˈdərbĕg [key], c.1404–1468, Albanian national hero. His original name was George Castriota or Kastriotes, but the Ottomans called him…
(Encyclopedia) Petronas Towers, twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that are the world's tallest twin towers. Standing 1,483 ft (452 m) high, they were designed by the Argentinian-American…
The World's Most Notorious Despots by Borgna Brunner Top Ten Despots Tamerlane Ivan the Terrible Robespierre Joseph Stalin Adolph Hitler Mao Zedong Francois…