Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Nur ad-Din

(Encyclopedia)Nur ad-Din no͞or äd-dēn [key], 1118–74, ruler of Syria. He was the son of the conqueror Zangi, and he succeeded to power in 1145. He defeated the Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor and fought with Baldwi...

Magnesia, ancient cities, Lydia

(Encyclopedia)Magnesia măgnēˈzhə [key], two ancient cities of Lydia, W Asia Minor (now W Turkey). They were colonies of the Magnetes, a tribe of E Thessaly. One city (Magnesia ad Maeandrum), SE of Smyrna (Izmir...

manna

(Encyclopedia)manna mănˈə [key], in the Bible, edible substance provided by God for the people of Israel in the wilderness. In the Book of Exodus it is compared to coriander seed and described as fine, white, an...

safflower

(Encyclopedia)safflower, Eurasian thistlelike herb (Carthamus tinctorius) of the family Asteraceae (aster family). Safflower, or false saffron, has long been cultivated in S Asia and Egypt for food and medicine and...

Sailendra

(Encyclopedia)Sailendra sīlĕnˈdrä [key], name of a dynasty in Indonesia and SE Asia. The dynasty appeared in central Java in the 7th cent. and had consolidated its position by the mid-8th cent. The Sailendras, ...

Barentz, Willem

(Encyclopedia)Barentz or Barents, Willem both: vĭˈləm bäˈrənts [key], d. 1597, Dutch navigator. He made three voyages (1594, 1595, 1596–97) in search of the Northeast Passage to Asia. He reached Novaya Zeml...

Thar Desert

(Encyclopedia)Thar Desert tär, tŭr [key] or Great Indian Desert, extensive arid region, c.500 mi (800 km) long and c.250 mi (400 km) wide, S Asia, in NW India and E Pakistan, between the Indus and Sutlej river va...

Beeby, Clarence Edward

(Encyclopedia)Beeby, Clarence Edward, 1902–92, New Zealand educator, b. Leeds, England. After studying at the universities of New Zealand, London, and Manchester, Beeby taught at the Univ. of New Zealand from 192...

tarragon

(Encyclopedia)tarragon târˈəgŏn [key], perennial aromatic Old World herb (Artemisia dracunculus) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), of the same genus as wormwood and sagebrush. It has long been cultivated...

coney

(Encyclopedia)coney or cony both: kōˈnē [key], name used for the rabbit (Oryctolagus) and for its fur; more often, for the pika, a small rodent found at high altitudes in both hemispheres; and for the rock hyrax...