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Ptolemy XV

(Encyclopedia)Ptolemy XV (Ptolemy Caesarion), 47–30 b.c., son of Cleopatra and (almost certainly) Julius Caesar. He became joint ruler with his mother, but played no role in the great and tragic events that broug...

Reuben

(Encyclopedia)Reuben ro͞oˈbən [key], in the Bible, Jacob's eldest son and eponymous ancestor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He interceded for his brother Joseph's life and guaranteed the safe return from Egy...

Qina

(Encyclopedia)Qina kĕnˈə [key], town (1986 pop. 119,917), capital of Qina governorate, E central Egypt, on the Nile River. Sugarcane and grains are grown nearby, and pottery is made in the town. Qina was built o...

Fatimid

(Encyclopedia)Fatimid –ĭmīt [key], dynasty claiming to hold the caliphate on the basis of descent from Fatima, a daughter of Muhammad the Prophet. In doctrine the Fatimids were related to other Shiite sects. Th...

Mahmud II

(Encyclopedia)Mahmud II, 1784–1839, Ottoman sultan (1808–39), younger son of Abd al-Hamid I. He was raised to the throne of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) upon the deposition of his brother, Mustafa IV, and contin...

Arab Spring

(Encyclopedia)Arab Spring, in modern North African and Middle Eastern history, antigovernment demonstrations and uprisings that, from late 2010, swept many of the regions' Arab nations. Arising in large part in rea...

Cottrell, Leonard Eric

(Encyclopedia)Cottrell, Leonard Eric kŏˈtrəl, kətrĕlˈ [key], 1913–74, British author. He was a commentator, writer, and producer for the British Broadcasting Corporation until 1960, when he resigned to devo...

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 ...

Garstang, John

(Encyclopedia)Garstang, John, 1876–1956, English archaeologist. He served as W. M. Flinders Petrie's field assistant in Egypt in 1899 and was professor of archaeology at the Univ. of Liverpool from 1907 to 1941, ...

Jehoiakim

(Encyclopedia)Jehoiakim jēhoiˈəkĭm [key], in the Bible, king of Judah, son of Josiah. On Josiah's death his son Jehoahaz became king. However, Pharaoh Neco II dethroned him and set up another of Josiah's sons, ...