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Al Kut

(Encyclopedia)Al Kut äl ko͞ot [key], town, SE Iraq, on the Tigris River. It is a port and a market center for grains, dates, fruit, and vegetables. There is a large barrage on the Tigris there diverting much of i...

Qaeda, Al

(Encyclopedia)Qaeda, Al, or Al Qaida: see Al Qaeda. ...

Al Qaeda

(Encyclopedia)Al Qaeda or Al Qaida äl kīˈĕdə, käˈĭdä [key] [Arab.,=the base], Sunni Islamic terrorist organization with the stated goals of uniting all Muslims and establishing a transnational, strict-fund...

Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah

(Encyclopedia)Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah), 1929–2020, emir of Kuwait (2006–20). He held a number of government posts, including foreign minister (1963–2003) and deputy prime min...

Al-Farghani

(Encyclopedia)Al-Farghani ălfrəgāˈnəs [key], d. after 861, Arab astronomer. Al-Farghani was born in Farghana, Transoxania (present-day Fergana, Uzbekistan), and died in Egypt. His most important work, written ...

Gezira, Al

(Encyclopedia)Gezira, Al äl jäzēˈrä [key], region, SE Sudan, occupying the tract between the White and Blue Niles south of their convergence at Khartoum. The Arabic word Gezira means “island” or “peninsu...

Al Aziziyah

(Encyclopedia)Al Aziziyah ăzĭzēˈä [key], town, NW Libya, near Tripoli. It is a major trade center of the Jifarah plain. Al Aziziyah was long considered to have recorded the highest shade temperature on earth, ...

Majid, Ali Hassan al-

(Encyclopedia)Majid, Ali Hassan al- äˈlē hāˈsän äl-mäjēdˈ [key], 1941–2010, Iraqi general and Ba'athist, cousin of Saddam Hussein. After Hussein took power (1979), Majid played a pivotal role in the Ba'...

Manamah, Al

(Encyclopedia)Manamah, Al äl mänämˈä [key], town (1991 pop. 127,578), capital, commercial center, and largest city of Bahrain, on the Persian Gulf. It has oil refineries and light industries and is a free port...

Arish, Al

(Encyclopedia)Arish, Al äl ärēshˈ [key], town (1986 pop. 67,337), NE Egypt, in the Sinai peninsula, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is a fishing port and a military and administrative center; since the 1980s it ha...