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Taharka

(Encyclopedia)Taharka tērˈəkə, tērhäˈkə [key], d. 663 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, last ruler of the XXV dynasty; son of Piankhi. Before he was king, he led the Egyptians against Sennacherib, who disastrous...

Póros

(Encyclopedia)Póros pôˈrôs [key], anc. Greek Calauria, island (1991 pop. 3,570), c.8 sq mi (20 sq km), SE Greece, in the Aegean Sea near the Argolis peninsula of the Peloponnesus. It is famous for its fine marb...

Siwah

(Encyclopedia)Siwah or Siwa both: sēˈwä [key], oasis, c.35 sq mi (90 sq km), NW Egypt, in the Libyan (Western) Desert. Dates and tea are grown in the oasis, parts of which are c.200 ft (60 m) below sea level. Em...

Ayodhya

(Encyclopedia)Ayodhya –jōdˈ– [key], town, Uttar Pradesh state, N India, on the Ghaghara River. Formerly called Oudh, the town forms a municipal corporation with Faizabad. Ayodhya was the capital of the kingdo...

Delphi

(Encyclopedia)Delphi dĕlˈfī [key], locality in Phocis, Greece, near the foot of the south slope of Mt. Parnassós, c.6 mi (10 km) northeast of the port of Cirrha. It was the seat of the Delphic oracle, the most ...

Hangzhou

(Encyclopedia)Hangzhou hăngˈchou [key], city (1994 est. pop. 1,184,300), capital of Zhejiang prov., E China. It is on the Fuchun River at the head of Hangzhou Bay and handles river traffic through its port. It is...

Mattaniah

(Encyclopedia)Mattaniah mătˌənīˈə [key], in the Bible. 1 Early name of King Zedekiah. 2 Asaphite Levite. 3 Temple musician. 4 Levite contemporary with Hezekiah. 5, 6, 7, 8 Men who had foreign wives. 9 Levite....

Wilmette

(Encyclopedia)Wilmette wĭlmĕtˈ [key], village (1990 pop. 26,690), Cook co., NE Ill., a residential suburb of Chicago, on Lake Michigan; inc. 1872. A Baha'i temple and a U.S. Coast Guard station are there. ...

benediction

(Encyclopedia)benediction [Lat.,=blessing], solemn blessing usually administered in the name of God by a priest or a minister. The temple worship at Jerusalem had fixed forms of benedictions, and Christians have al...

Eridu

(Encyclopedia)Eridu āˈrĭdo͞o [key], ancient city of Sumer, Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates, S of Ur (in present-day S Iraq). Excavations conducted from 1946 to 1949 revealed that Eridu was the earliest known se...