Tunisia: Transition: The assembly also elected Moncef Marzouki, a human rights activist and former opponent of the Ben Ali regime, as president of Tunisia. Marzouki then appointed Hamadi Jebali, a member of Ennahda, to the post of prime minister.

Armenia: The Arsacids: …his replacement by a Persian marzpān (governor) at the request of the nakharars (428). Although the Armenian nobles had thus destroyed their country’s sovereignty, a sense of national unity was furthered by the development of an Armenian alphabet and a national Christian literature; culturally, if not politically, the 5th century…

Murzuk, oasis, southwestern Libya. It lies on the northern edge of the Murzuk Sand Sea (Idhān Murzuk). An ancient assembly place for caravans to Lake Chad and the Niger River, it was the traditional capital of the Fezzan province (16th–19th century) and a centre of the Arab slave and arms trade.

Côte d’Azur: The mas is the traditional farmstead of the plains and houses living quarters and sheds under one roof; windows are narrow to admit little summer heat. Farmsteads in the plains tend to be dispersed. Retirees have immigrated to the coast of Alpes-Maritimes, with the result that…

Alejandro Sanz: …next album was the record-breaking Más (1997; “More”), which showcased a maturity in lyrical content and sensibility that appealed to a broader audience. Básico (“Basic”), which had previously been released in a limited edition and featured selected songs from his past albums, followed a year later. The eagerly anticipated El…

Luis Arce: Arce was the candidate of Movement Toward Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo; MAS), the leftist party that Morales had helped to found. He had been the architect of the economic transformation during Morales’s presidency, which renationalized Bolivia’s thriving petroleum industry, redistributed agricultural land, increased taxes on the wealthy, and lifted countless…

Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), leftist Venezuelan political party. (Read George Bernard Shaw’s 1926 Britannica essay on socialism.) The MAS was formed in 1971 following a split the previous year in the Venezuelan Communist Party over the dismissal of its leader, Teodoro Petkoff, for remarks

Juan Fernández Islands: …Isla Alejandro Selkirk (also called Isla Más Afuera), 100 miles to the west; and an islet, Isla Santa Clara, southwest of Isla Robinson Crusoe.

Isabel Allende: …Más allá del invierno (2017; In the Midst of Winter), about the friendships that form after a car accident in Brooklyn, New York, during a blizzard. In Largo pétalo de mar (2019; A Long Petal of the Sea), a man and a woman become exiles following the Spanish Civil War…

Juanes: Más futuro que pasado (2019; “More Future Than Past”) mixed traditional forms with rock and hip-hop. Juanes won the 2019 Latin Grammy for person of the year. His 10th studio album, Origen (2021), was a tribute to his musical roots; a companion documentary was also…

Catalonia: The Catalonian independence movement in the 21st century: Convergence and Union leader Artur Mas called for the long-promised, albeit nonbinding, independence referendum to be held on November 9, 2014. The move was immediately challenged by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and the independence campaign was suspended while the Constitutional Court considered the legality of the vote. Ultimately,…

Joseph Canteloube: …works, which include the operas Le Mas and Vercingétorix (performed at the Paris Opéra in 1929 and 1933, respectively), have been neglected. He also edited the Anthologie des chants populaires français (1939–44).

tamale: In the preparation of tamales, masa harina, fine-ground corn treated with slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), is made into a thick paste. For each tamale, the masa is spread on a corn husk or banana leaf, a small amount of filling is added, and the whole is wrapped into a package…

Masaccio was an important Florentine painter of the early Renaissance whose frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence (c. 1427) remained influential throughout the Renaissance. In the span of only six years, Masaccio radically transformed Florentine

Masada, ancient mountaintop fortress in southeastern Israel, site of the Jews’ last stand against the Romans after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 ce. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. Masada occupies the entire top of an isolated mesa near the southwest coast of the Dead Sea. The

After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 ce, Emperor Titus returned to Rome and received a triumphant welcome for his success in defeating the First Jewish Revolt. At the same time, the Romans began to restore order in Judaea by putting down any final resistance and regaining control of the last few

Mohammad Mosaddegh was an Iranian political leader who nationalized the huge British oil holdings in Iran and, as premier in 1951–53, almost succeeded in deposing the shah. The son of an Iranian public official, Mosaddegh grew up as a member of Iran’s ruling elite. He received a Doctor of Law

Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, during whose reign political power was transferred from the imperial court to the provincial warrior class. He ascended the throne in 1155, taking the reign name Go-Shirakawa, after the death of his brother, the emperor Konoe. When his father, the former

Maasai, nomadic pastoralists of East Africa. Maasai is essentially a linguistic term, referring to speakers of this Eastern Sudanic language (usually called Maa) of the Nilo-Saharan language family. These include the pastoral Maasai who range along the Great Rift Valley of Kenya and Tanzania, the

Amboseli National Park, national park, southern Kenya, eastern Africa. Amboseli was originally established as a game reserve in 1948 and covered 1,259 square miles (3,261 square km) northwest of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Within it were distinguished seven habitats: open plains, acacia woodland,

giraffe: giraffa), the Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi), and the reticulated giraffe (G. reticulata).

Nilo-Saharan languages: Gender: …this so-called “Hamitic component” in Masai and other Nilotic languages was to become a major taxonomic issue at the beginning of the 20th century. The concept of language mixture (as an alternative to a uniform genetic classification into distinct language families) was defended most vigorously by the Africanist Carl Meinhof,…

Kenya: Cultural institutions: …is best observed at the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which also includes a Maasai village. Amboseli National Park, a former home of the Maasai, lies at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Marsabit National Park and Reserve in the north is noted for its populations of large mammals such as lions,…

Masaka, town located in southern Uganda, situated about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Kampala at an elevation of 4,300 feet (1,310 metres). Roads connect it with Mbirizi, Lyantonde, and Mbarara. It is a market town and an important commercial centre for the surrounding rich coffee-growing area.

Masākin, town located in eastern Tunisia, on Al-Sāḥil (Sahel), the coastal strip, 7 miles (11 km) from the Mediterranean Sea. A road and rail junction, the town is also a centre for olive growing and processing, flour milling, and weaving. Its buildings, typical of the area, are constructed mostly

Masako is a Japanese diplomat who became the crown princess of Japan when she married Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993. She became empress of Japan in May 2019. Owada Masako was the daughter of Owada Hisashi, a high-ranking official of the Japanese government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a child

curry: …the spice mixtures are called masala and are prepared in the home. Some masala are blended with a liquid, such as water or vinegar, to make a curry paste. The primarily vegetarian curries of southern India, seasoned with sambar podi and other traditional blends, are the most pungent, often containing…

al-ʿUmarī: …principles of Mamlūk administration, and Masālik al-abṣār fī mamālik al-amṣār, an encyclopaedic compendium also relating to administrative practices.

Ḥāfiẓ-i Abrū: …geographic work from Arabic, the Masālik al-mamālik wa suwar al-akālīm (“The Roads of the Kingdoms and the Forms of the Climes”), in which he included historical sections on various provinces of Iran.

Masamune was a Japanese swordsmith. He was appointed chief swordsmith by the emperor Fushimi in 1287. He founded the Sōshū school of swordmaking, in which blades were made entirely of steel and hardened throughout. It marked an important advance in metallurgical technique that was significantly

Masamune Hakuchō was a writer and critic who was one of the great masters of Japanese naturalist literature. Unlike others of that school, he seems to have had a basically unsentimental and skeptical view of human society that gave a notably disinterested tone to his writing. Early influenced by

Masamune Hakuchō was a writer and critic who was one of the great masters of Japanese naturalist literature. Unlike others of that school, he seems to have had a basically unsentimental and skeptical view of human society that gave a notably disinterested tone to his writing. Early influenced by

Masan, former city, South Gyeongsang do (province), southeastern South Korea, now a district of the city of Changwon. It is located on Masan Bay, across from Jinhae Bay, 22 miles (35 km) west of Busan, with which it is connected by rail and road. After 1899 Masan developed as an open port, but it

Sikhism: Guru Ram Das: …also replaced the manjis with masands (vicars), who were charged with the care of defined sangats (congregations) and who at least once a year presented the Guru with reports on and gifts from the Sikh community. Particularly skilled in hymn singing, Guru Ram Das stressed the importance of this practice,…

Masaniello was a leader of a popular insurrection in Naples against Spanish rule and oppression by the nobles. Masaniello was a young fisherman in 1647 when he was chosen to lead a protest against a new tax on fruit, levied by the nobility to raise money to pay the tribute demanded by Spain. The

Daniel-François-Esprit Auber: …spectacular Muette de Portici (1828; Mute Girl of Portici, also known as Masaniello) has been regarded as an archetype of French grand opera. It greatly impressed Richard Wagner, who modeled his Rienzi (1840) after it. In addition to anticipating the works of Giacomo Meyerbeer, Auber’s Le Philtre (1831) provided the…

Hideo Nomo: …the United States, however, was Masanori Murakami, who played in the minor leagues in Japan before pitching for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and ’65.)

Masaoka Shiki was a poet, essayist, and critic who revived the haiku and tanka, traditional Japanese poetic forms. Masaoka was born into a samurai (warrior) family. He went to Tokyo to study in 1883 and began to write poetry in 1885. After studying at Tokyo Imperial University from 1890 to 1892, he

Masaoka Shiki was a poet, essayist, and critic who revived the haiku and tanka, traditional Japanese poetic forms. Masaoka was born into a samurai (warrior) family. He went to Tokyo to study in 1883 and began to write poetry in 1885. After studying at Tokyo Imperial University from 1890 to 1892, he

San, an indigenous people of southern Africa, related to the Khoekhoe (Khoikhoi). They live chiefly in Botswana, Namibia, and southeastern Angola. Bushmen is an Anglicization of boesman, the Dutch and Afrikaner name for them; saan (plural) or saa (singular) is the Nama word for “bush dweller(s),”

Jan Masaryk was a statesman and diplomat who served as foreign minister in both the Czechoslovak émigré government in London during World War II and the postwar coalition government of Czechoslovakia. The son of the statesman Tomáš Masaryk, Jan served in a Hungarian regiment during World War I,

Jan Masaryk was a statesman and diplomat who served as foreign minister in both the Czechoslovak émigré government in London during World War II and the postwar coalition government of Czechoslovakia. The son of the statesman Tomáš Masaryk, Jan served in a Hungarian regiment during World War I,

Tomáš Masaryk was the chief founder and first president (1918–35) of Czechoslovakia. Masaryk’s father was a Slovak coachman; his mother, a maid, came from a Germanized Moravian family. Though he was trained to be a teacher, he briefly became a locksmith’s apprentice but then entered the German

Tomáš Masaryk was the chief founder and first president (1918–35) of Czechoslovakia. Masaryk’s father was a Slovak coachman; his mother, a maid, came from a Germanized Moravian family. Though he was trained to be a teacher, he briefly became a locksmith’s apprentice but then entered the German

Masaya, city, southwestern Nicaragua, at the eastern foot of Masaya Volcano, just east of the small Lake Masaya in the rift valley between Lakes Nicaragua and Managua. Masaya serves as a commercial and manufacturing centre for the rich agricultural hinterland. Within the city, the indigenous

Nicaragua: Drainage: Lake Masaya is prized for its swimming and fishing facilities; the sulfurous waters of Lake Nejapa have medicinal properties ascribed to them; and Lake Tiscapa is located in the capital city.

Masbate: Masbate town, located on the northeastern coast of the island, is the commercial centre, with trade in copra, corn, fish, and cattle; the town has an airport. Cataingan, Placer, Milagros, and Dimasalang are other important towns. Area 1,262 square miles (3,269 square km). Pop. (2000)…

Masbate, island and town, central Philippines. Masbate island is part of the Visayan island group, bordered by the Sibuyan (west), Visayan (south), and Samar (east) seas. The island lies 30 miles (48 km) southwest of the southern tip of Luzon and is V-shaped, with the open end of the V forming the

Pietro Mascagni was an Italian operatic composer, one of the principal exponents of verismo, a style of opera writing marked by melodramatic, often violent plots with characters drawn from everyday life. Mascagni studied at the conservatory at Milan, but, unable to submit to the discipline of his

Mount Etna: Geology: …and buried the village of Mascali. The eruption of 1971 threatened several villages with its lava flow and destroyed some orchards and vineyards. Activity was almost continuous in the decade following 1971, and in 1983 an eruption that lasted four months prompted authorities to explode dynamite in an attempt to…

cosmetic: Eye makeup: …complete maquillage (full makeup), includes mascara to emphasize the eyelashes; eye shadow for the eyelids, available in many shades; and eyebrow pencils and eyeliner to pick out the edges of the lids. Because eye cosmetics are used adjacent to a very sensitive area, innocuity of ingredients is essential.

Mascara, town, northwestern Algeria, situated about 40 miles (60 km) south of the Mediterranean Sea coast. Spread across two hills separated by the Wadi Toudman, it lies on the southern slope of the Beni Chougran Range of the Atlas Mountains. Mascara (“Mother of Soldiers”) was founded as a Turkish

Mascarene Islands, collectively, the islands of Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues, which are situated in a line along a submarine ridge, the Seychelles-Mauritius Plateau, 400 to 500 miles (640 to 800 km) northeast from southern Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean. All are volcanic in origin. The

boa: …of snakes: the Mascarene, or split-jawed, boas (family Bolyeriidae) and dwarf boas (ground and wood boas of the family Tropidophiidae); these two families are not closely related to each other or to the true boas.

equatorial current: …as the Mozambique (west) and Mascarene currents, which become the Agulhas Current. At the Cape of Good Hope this feeds east into the South Indian Current, which supplies the West Australian Current. The latter is a source of the Indian South Equatorial Current.

zoysiagrass: matrella), and Mascarene grass (Z. tenuifolia) were introduced into North America as turf and lawn grasses and tolerate a variety of growing conditions. The leaves are fine-bladed in both the Manila and Mascarene grasses.

Mascarene Islands, collectively, the islands of Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues, which are situated in a line along a submarine ridge, the Seychelles-Mauritius Plateau, 400 to 500 miles (640 to 800 km) northeast from southern Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean. All are volcanic in origin. The

Seychelles-Mauritius Plateau, submarine plateau, made up of a very shallow, extensive ridge in the Indian Ocean that forms a crescent through the Seychelles and Amirante islands. The ridge extends from latitude 4° to 21° S and from longitude 54° to 63° E. It is believed to be a small continental

raspy cricket: The Mascarene raspy cricket carries pollinia of A. cadetii on its head, transferring the pollen grains to neighbouring flowers as it feeds.

tidal bore: In France the mascaret is a large bore on the Seine River, which forms on spring tides and reaches as far upriver as Rouen. Other rivers containing well-known bores include the Severn, in England, and the Petitcodiac River, which empties into the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick,…

Édouard Maunick: Mascaret ou le livre de la mer et de la mort (1966; “Mascaret or The Book of the Sea and of Death”) reiterated his sense of isolation. Outraged by blacks killing blacks in Nigeria, Maunick published Fusillez-moi (1970; “Shoot Me”), a cry of anguish at…

mascarpone, an Italian cream cheese. Mascarpone is one of Italy’s most distinguished cheeses. Some believe its name originates from the Spanish words for “better than good,” though it more likely derives from the Lombard word for ricotta, mascherpo; the cheese’s name is locally spelled mascherpone.

Recife: …what is now called the War of the Mascates (i.e., peddlers) because the small tradesmen of Recife tried to organize a municipality of their own. In 1827 Recife became the official capital of the province of Pernambuco.

Flavius Stilicho: …year he sent Gildo’s brother, Mascezel, to Africa with an army, and he easily overthrew Gildo and put him to death; but Mascezel died soon afterward, and Stilicho was suspected of having had him murdered so that he might not become a rival. In 398 Stilicho’s daughter Maria was married…

Pietro Mascagni: Le maschere (1901), reviving the commedia dell’arte, is musically superior, though it had little success. Mascagni succeeded Arturo Toscanini as musical director of La Scala, Milan, in 1929. Among Mascagni’s other operas are L’amico Fritz (1891), Iris (1898), and Nerone (1935), the last glorifying Benito…

submachine gun: …true submachine gun, as the MP18, or the Bergmann Muskete. This weapon was first issued in 1918, the last year of World War I. In Britain submachine guns came to be called machine carbines; in Germany, machine pistols; in the United States, submachine guns. The Thompson submachine gun (q.v.), or…

small arm: Light machine guns: …guns was introduced by the Maschinengewehr 1934 and 1942. Recoil-operated and fed 7.92-mm rifle ammunition on belts, these were equally effective when fired from bipods or when mounted on tripods for sustained fire. Firing at an extremely high rate (as high as 1,000 rounds per minute), they dealt with the…

MG42, German general-purpose machine gun, used as a standard weapon by many armies around the world. The MG42 was designed in Germany in 1938, and it was placed in action on all fronts by mid-1942. Its original calibre was 7.92 mm, but when West Germany entered the North Atlantic Treaty

small arm: The submachine gun: …way with the MP38 and MP40. Known to the Allies as “burp guns,” these weapons operated at 450 to 550 rounds per minute, the optimal rate for controlled fire. Also, they were fed by a box magazine, which did not jam as often as a drum, and had a wire…

mascon, a region of excess gravitational attraction on the surface of the Moon. The word is a contraction of mass concentration. Mascons were first identified by the observation of small anomalies in the orbits of Lunar Orbiter spacecraft launched in 1966–67. NASA scientists Paul Muller and William

Olympic Games: Mascots: The organizers of the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, devised as an emblem of their Games a cartoonlike figure of a skiing man and called him Schuss. The 1972 Games in Munich, West Germany, adopted the idea and produced the first “official mascot,”…

asteroid: Spacecraft exploration: …a small lander, MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout), which had been developed by the German and French space programs. Hayabusa2 arrived at Ryugu on June 27, 2018. Rovers 1A and 1B landed on Ryugu on September 22 and were the first rovers to land on an asteroid’s surface. MASCOT…

the O’Jays, American vocal group that rose to the forefront of the Philadelphia soul movement of the 1970s. The O’Jays’ origins date to the late 1950s, when childhood friends Eddie Levert (b. June 16, 1942, Canton, Ohio, U.S.) and Walter Williams (b. August 25, 1942, Canton) began performing gospel

Brigitte Bardot: …Brigitte (1965), and Masculin-Féminin (1966; Masculine Feminine). With her career waning, Bardot appeared in her final films in 1973 and subsequently retired.

caesura: …in modern prosody are the masculine caesura, a caesura that follows a stressed or long syllable, and the feminine caesura, which follows an unstressed or short syllable. The feminine caesura is further divided into the epic caesura and the lyric caesura. An epic caesura is a feminine caesura that follows…

Brigitte Bardot: …Brigitte (1965), and Masculin-Féminin (1966; Masculine Feminine). With her career waning, Bardot appeared in her final films in 1973 and subsequently retired.

gender: …are classified into two genders, masculine and feminine. Russian and German nouns are grouped into three genders, the third being neuter. While nouns referring to masculine or feminine beings almost always take the logical gender in these languages, for most other nouns the gender is arbitrary.

masculine rhyme, in verse, a monosyllabic rhyme or a rhyme that occurs only in stressed final syllables (such as claims, flames or rare, despair). Compare feminine rhyme. Emily Dickinson used the masculine rhyme to great effect in the last stanza of “After great pain, a formal feeling

gender role: …characteristics based on concepts of masculinity and femininity. A gender role should not be confused with gender identity, which refers to an individual’s internal sense of being masculine, feminine, on a spectrum between the two, a gender unrelated to that binary, or no gender at all.

anabolic steroid: It also leads to virilization—the development of masculine traits, including increased libido and deepening of the voice.

Masdevallia, genus of more than 500 species of tropical American orchids (family Orchidaceae). Some species are cultivated for their attractive flowers, but the plants require cool humid conditions and can be challenging to grow. Most species are epiphytes, though some grow in soil or attached to

John Masefield was a poet, best known for his poems of the sea, Salt-Water Ballads (1902, including “Sea Fever” and “Cargoes”), and for his long narrative poems, such as The Everlasting Mercy (1911), which shocked literary orthodoxy with its phrases of a colloquial coarseness hitherto unknown in

Olduvai Gorge: …to 800,000 years old), the Masek Beds (400,000 to 600,000 years old), the Ndutu Beds (32,000 to 400,000 years old), and the Naisiusiu Beds (15,000 to 22,000 years old).

Hugh Masekela was a South African trumpeter who was one of his country’s most popular instrumentalists. An outspoken opponent of apartheid, he lived in the United States, Europe, and Africa while bringing his own country’s unique rhythms and harmonies to international stages. Masekela was the son

African music: Fiddles: …Nigeria and the spike fiddles masenqo of Ethiopia and Eritrea and endingidi of Uganda—the last being a 20th-century invention.

maser, device that produces and amplifies electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range of the spectrum. The first maser was built by the American physicist Charles H. Townes. Its name is an acronym for “microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.” The wavelength produced by a

Maserati, Italian automobile manufacturer known for racing, sports, and GT (Grand Touring) cars. It is a subsidiary of Stellantis NV and is based in Modena, Italy. Officine Alfieri Maserati SA was founded in Bologna, Italy, in December 1914 by the brothers Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto Maserati. The

Maserati, Italian automobile manufacturer known for racing, sports, and GT (Grand Touring) cars. It is a subsidiary of Stellantis NV and is based in Modena, Italy. Officine Alfieri Maserati SA was founded in Bologna, Italy, in December 1914 by the brothers Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto Maserati. The

graphic novel: The academic study of comics: …novels by the likes of Frans Masereel and Lynd Ward (themselves partially influenced by German Expressionist cinema, and perhaps vice versa) were precursors of the graphic novel.

Maseru, capital and largest urban centre of Lesotho. It is on the left bank of the Caledon River near the border with Free State province, South Africa. In 1869 the chief of the Sotho (Basotho) nation, Moshoeshoe, founded the town near his mountain stronghold of Thaba Bosiu; few of the 19th-century

ʿAjmān: …east-southeast of ʿAjmān city, and Maṣfūṭ, 56 miles (90 km) southeast of ʿAjmān city, in the Wadi Ḥattá at the promontory’s base.

Richard Kuklinski: The second, Louis Masgay, also sought a videotape deal. He was last seen in 1981, and his partially decomposed body was discovered some 15 months later. The medical examiner found ice crystals in the body’s tissues and determined that it had been kept frozen; this led to…

beer: Mixing the mash: The milled malt, called grist, is mixed with water, providing conditions in which starch, other molecules, and enzymes are dissolved and rapid enzyme action takes place. The solute-rich liquid produced in mashing is called the wort. Traditionally, mashing may be one of two distinct…

War Stories: 13 Modern Writers Who Served in War: Richard Hooker: …an American surgeon who wrote MASH, a humorous war novel that is based on Hornberger’s experiences as a U.S. Army doctor in the Korean War. Hornberger began writing the novel in 1956, modeling the character of Dr. Benjamin Franklin (“Hawkeye”) Pierce on himself and balancing comical elements with descriptions of…

battlefield medicine: The mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) was used by U.S. forces during the Korean War in the 1950s and was still in service during the Persian Gulf War (1990–91). MASH units—which had 60 beds, required 50 large trucks to move, and took 24 hours to set…

beer: Mixing the mash: …a single vessel (called a mash tun), and a single temperature in the range of 62 to 67 °C (144 to 153 °F). With well-modified malt, breakdown of proteins and glucans has already occurred at the malting stage, and at 65 °C (149 °F) the starch readily gelatinizes and the…

Mashhad, city, capital of Khorāsān-e Razavī ostān (province), northeastern Iran. It is located in the Kashaf River valley at an elevation of about 1,000 metres. As the burial place of ʿAlī al-Riḍā, the eighth imam in Twelver Shiʿism (Ithnā ʿAshariyyah), Mashhad is an important pilgrimage site.

Yazīdī: …al-jilwah (“Book of Revelation”) and Maṣḥafrash (“Black Book”), form the sacred scriptures of the Yazīdīs. It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by non-Yazīdīs in the 19th century and then were passed off as ancient manuscripts but that their contents do in fact reflect authentic Yazīdī oral…

biblical literature: Proverbs: …at the court, was the mashal (Hebrew: “comparison” or “parable,” although frequently translated “proverb”). Typically a pithy, easily memorized aphoristic saying based on experience and universal in application, the mashal in its simplest and oldest form was a couplet in which a definition was given in two parallel lines related…

Khaled Meshaal is an exiled Palestinian politician who served as the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas from 1996 until 2017. In 2021 he was tapped to head Hamas’s office for Palestinian refugees and exiles. After the assassination in 2024 of Ismail Haniyeh, who