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Almohads

(Encyclopedia)Almohads ălˈməhădz [key], Berber Muslim dynasty that ruled Morocco and Spain in the 12th and 13th cent. It had its origins in the puritanical sect founded by Ibn Tumart, who stirred up (c.1120) th...

Kaaba

(Encyclopedia)Kaaba or Caaba both: 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 nature of the...

Makkah Royal Clock Tower

(Encyclopedia)Makkah Royal Clock Tower: see Abraj Al-Bait. ...

Knopf, Blanche W.

(Encyclopedia)Knopf, Blanche W.: see under Knopf, Alfred A. ...

Abbas, Mahmoud

(Encyclopedia)Abbas, Mahmoud mäkhmo͞odˈ äbäsˈ, mämo͞odˈ [key], 1935–, Palestinian leader, also known as Abu Mazen. He was born in Saffed, Palestine (now in Israel), but his family fled during the 1948–...

bin Laden, Osama

(Encyclopedia)bin Laden, Osama or Usama ōsäˈmə bĭn lädˈən, ŭsäˈmə [key], 1957?–2011, Saudi-born leader of Al Qaeda, a terrorist organization devoted to uniting all Muslims and establishing a transnati...

D'Orsay, Alfred Guillaume Gabriel, count

(Encyclopedia)D'Orsay, Alfred Guillaume Gabriel, count: see Orsay, Alfred Guillaume Gabriel, count d'. ...

Dayr az Zawr

(Encyclopedia)Dayr az Zawr –ĕz– [key], town, capital of Dayr az Zawr governorate, E Syria, on the Euph...

Abd el-Krim

(Encyclopedia)Abd el-Krim äbˌdĕl-krĭmˈ [key], 1882?–1963, leader of the Rif tribes of Morocco, called in full Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi. An important figure in the administration of the Spanish Z...

Giza

(Encyclopedia)Giza, Gizeh äl jēˈzö [key], city (1990 est. pop. 2,680,500), capital of Giza governorate, N Egypt, surburb of Cairo. It is a manufacturing and agricultural trade center. Products include textiles...