Silhak, (Korean: “Practical Learning”), school of thought that came into existence in the midst of the chaotic conditions of 18th-century Korea, dedicated to a practical approach to statecraft, instead of the blind and uncritical following of Confucian teachings. The Silhak school attacked

Sirhan Sirhan is a Palestinian-born Jordanian citizen who was convicted (1969) of fatally shooting U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968. He received the death penalty, but the sentence was later commuted to life. Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian, was born in Jerusalem. In 1948 Jordan took

Sirhan Sirhan is a Palestinian-born Jordanian citizen who was convicted (1969) of fatally shooting U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968. He received the death penalty, but the sentence was later commuted to life. Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian, was born in Jerusalem. In 1948 Jordan took

Al-Qurayyāt: The valley of the Wadi Sirhān is the main physical feature of the area; it formerly served as an important caravan route from the Mediterranean to the central and southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Qurayyāt is sparsely populated. Al-Nabk is its capital. Pop. (2004 prelim.) 100,436.

Sirhind Canal, canal in Punjab state, northwestern India. It opened in 1882 and consists of an extensive canal system that irrigates more than 5,200 square km (2,000 square miles) of farmland. The system’s headworks, where it draws its water, are on the Sutlej River at Ropar, near the border of

Shaykh Aḥmad Sirhindī was an Indian mystic and theologian who was largely responsible for the reassertion and revival in India of orthodox Sunnite Islam as a reaction against the syncretistic religious tendencies prevalent during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Shaykh Aḥmad, who through his

Siri, digital assistant included within Apple devices’ operating system. Siri was introduced with the iPhone 4S in October 2011; it was the first widely available virtual assistant available on a major tech company’s smartphone. Siri was named after the shortened version of the Norwegian name

Philadelphia Eagles: Philadelphia subsequently hired Nick Sirianni as head coach. The Eagles got off to a slow start in 2021, posting a 2–5 record. However, the team’s play improved, and the franchise qualified for the playoffs, though it lost in the wild card round. In 2022 Hurts had a breakout…

Siribunyasan was the king of the Lao principality of Vientiane during whose reign Laos came to be dominated by Siam (Thailand). When Siribunyasan succeeded his father, Ong Rong, on the throne in about 1760, Laos was divided into rival states, Vientiane itself was split in factions, and Burmese

John Sirica was a U.S. district court judge whose search for the truth about the 1972 Watergate break-in was the first step leading to the resignation of Pres. Richard M. Nixon. Sirica was raised in poverty in several eastern American cities and, after supporting his studies by boxing, received his

John Sirica was a U.S. district court judge whose search for the truth about the 1972 Watergate break-in was the first step leading to the resignation of Pres. Richard M. Nixon. Sirica was raised in poverty in several eastern American cities and, after supporting his studies by boxing, received his

horntail, (family Siricidae), any of about 85 species of solitary (nonsocial), primitive wasps (order Hymenoptera), classified in five different genera, that are moderately large, some reaching 3.75 cm (about 1.5 inches) in length. The cylindrical body is usually brown, blue, or black, often with

Saint Siricius ; feast day November 26) was the pope from 384 to 399. Ordained a deacon by Pope Liberius, he was elected as Pope St. Damasus I’s successor in December 384. His famous letters—the earliest surviving texts of papal decretals—focus particularly on religious discipline and include

The Sopranos: (Michael Imperioli), Paulie (Tony Sirico), and Sil (Steve Van Zandt) form Tony’s trusted inner circle, through whom Tony’s business deals are played out. The themes of identity, guilt, and denial are highlighted by the selective acknowledgment of the harsh realities of Tony’s crime world by his wife, Carmela…

Hymenoptera: Annotated classification: Superfamily Siricoidea (horntails and wood wasps) Mostly medium to large insects. Family Anaxyelidae (cedar wood wasps) In United States represented by 1 California species; larvae eat wood of incense cedar. Family Siricidae (horntails) Usually 2.5 cm or more

African art: Dogon and Tellem: One type of mask, called sirige, has a tall, flat projection above the face (a feature found also in the masks of the neighboring Mossi and Bobo), which is said to represent a multistory house. The Great Mask, which is never worn and is made anew every 60 years, represents…

Mount Hermon, snowcapped ridge on the Lebanon-Syria border west of Damascus. It rises to 9,232 feet (2,814 meters) and is the highest point on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is sometimes considered the southernmost extension of the Anti-Lebanon range. At its foot rise the two major

Sirionó, South American Indian people of eastern Bolivia. They live in the dense tropical forests of the eastern and northern parts of the department of Beni. Unlike other Indians of the Chiquitos-Moxos region, the Sirionó are linguistically Tupians (q.v.) who long ago became separated from the

George Berkeley: Years as bishop of Cloyne: Siris (1744) passed through some six editions in six months. It is at once a treatise on the medicinal virtues of tar-water (a mixture of water and pine tar), its making and dosage, and a philosopher’s vision of a chain of being, “a gradual evolution…

spectroscopy: Sputter atomization: In contrast, the sputter-initiated RIS (SIRIS) method takes advantage of the much more numerous neutral atoms emitted in the sputtering process. In SIRIS devices the secondary ions are rejected because the yield of these ions can be greatly affected by the composition of the host material (known as…

albizia: Indian albizia, or siris (A. lebbek), native to tropical Asia and Australia, grows about 24 metres tall and bears pods 23–30 cm long. Both species are common ornamental trees.

Sérrai, city and dímos (municipality), periféreia (region) of Central Macedonia (Modern Greek: Kendrikí Makedonía), northern Greece. Sérrai is situated on the east bank of the fertile agricultural valley of the Struma (Strymónas) River. The town was fortified by Byzantine emperors in their efforts

Sri Lanka: Reconstruction of Sri Lanka: …one of his cabinet members, Maithripala Sirisena, defected to the opposition and ran against him. Other UPFA members defected as well. In the early January 2015 polling, Sirisena scored an upset victory over Rajapaksa and was sworn in as president.

Hubert Beuve-Méry was a French publisher and editor who directed Le Monde from the paper’s founding in 1944 until 1969. Under his direction, Le Monde became an independent, self-supporting, and highly prestigious daily with a large national and international readership. From 1928 to 1939 Beuve-Méry

Sirius, brightest star in the night sky, with apparent visual magnitude −1.46. It is a binary star in the constellation Canis Major. The bright component of the binary is a blue-white star 25.4 times as luminous as the Sun. It has a radius 1.71 times that of the Sun and a surface temperature of

Sirius, first ship to cross the Atlantic entirely under steam. Built originally for service in the Irish Sea, the 703-ton Sirius, a side-wheeler, was chartered by the British & American Steam Navigation Company and sailed from London to New York by way of Cork in 1838 with 40 passengers. Her fuel

Sirius, brightest star in the night sky, with apparent visual magnitude −1.46. It is a binary star in the constellation Canis Major. The bright component of the binary is a blue-white star 25.4 times as luminous as the Sun. It has a radius 1.71 times that of the Sun and a surface temperature of

Sirius: This companion star, Sirius B, is about as massive as the Sun, though much more condensed, and was the first white dwarf star to be discovered.

radio: Radio’s digital future: …two American digital satellite services, XM and Sirius, began operating from satellite systems, each providing 100 channels of specialized music and talk programming, some with no advertising. Would-be listeners had to pay a monthly subscription fee (paying for audio content that most had long considered to be “free”), and they…

Douglas Sirk was a German-born American film director whose extremely popular melodramas offered cynical visions of American values. Though Sirk also directed comedies, westerns, and war films, he was most noted for his complicated family melodramas that showed frightful emotional warfare lurking

kala-azar, infectious disease that is a type of leishmaniasis

Anatolian art and architecture: Hittite period: …this period elsewhere in Anatolia—Sirkeli, Gâvur Kalesi, and Fraktin, for example—are mainly of archaeological interest. They are inferior in carving to contemporary reliefs and to those of the Iron Age, of which there is a fine example at İvriz Harabesi in the Taurus Mountains, showing a local ruler of…

Jostein Gaarder: …Same Flower), Sirkusdirektørens datter (2001; The Ringmaster’s Daughter), Slottet i Pyreneene (2008; The Castle in the Pyrenees), and Dukkeføreren (2016; “The Puppet Master”).

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a Liberian politician and economist who was president of Liberia (2006–18). She was the first woman to be elected head of state of an African country. Sirleaf was one of three recipients, along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karmān, of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Peace for

loin: …is known as the “surloin,” commonly corrupted into “sirloin.” In the plural the word is a term for the lower part of the human body at the junction with the legs. It is more or less synonymous with flank, or that portion of the body bounded by the lower…

Tiberius II Constantinus: …(582) to surrender Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia). Meanwhile, the Slavs poured into Thrace, Thessaly, Illyricum, and other regions of Greece.

RNA interference: RNAi in research and medicine: These pieces are called short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and are about 20 to 25 nucleotides in length. Similar to miRNA, siRNA binds to RISC and cleaves targeted sequences of mRNA.

Curtis Bernhardt: 1950s and ’60s: Sirocco (1951), a solid period action film, featured Bogart as a gunrunner, while The Blue Veil (1951) was a soap opera of a high order, centring on a nurse (Jane Wyman) who sets aside her own desires to serve a variety of patients over a…

sirocco, warm, humid wind occurring over the northern Mediterranean Sea and southern Europe, where it blows from the south or southeast and brings uncomfortably humid air. The sirocco is produced on the east sides of low-pressure centres that travel eastward over the southern Mediterranean. It

Sirohi, town, southwestern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It is situated in a tract broken by hills and rocky ranges and stands on the western slopes of Sarawan Hill (for which it is said to be named) in the Aravalli Range. Sirohi was founded in the early 15th century and was the capital of

Czechoslovak history: Stalinism in Czechoslovakia: …Zápotocký was elected president, while Viliám Široký, a Slovak, became premier; the powerful post of the party’s first secretary went to Antonín Novotný, who had played a very active role in conducting the purges. That May a monetary reform, which effectively deprived the farmers and better-paid workers of all their…

rapamycin, drug characterized primarily by its ability to suppress the immune system, which led to its use in the prevention of transplant rejection. Rapamycin is produced by the soil bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus. The drug’s name comes from Rapa Nui, the indigenous name of Easter Island,

Syros, island near the centre of the Cyclades (Modern Greek: Kykládes) group, in the Aegean Sea, South Aegean (Nótio Aigaío) periféreia (region), southeastern Greece. Its chief town and port, Hermoúpolis, on a bay of the east coast, is the capital of the nomós (department) of Cyclades. The island

Anti-Atlas: …High Atlas (Haut Atlas) by Mount Siroua, a volcanic peak rising to 10,840 feet (3,304 metres).

Zoroastrianism: Sources: The Siroza enumerates the deities presiding over the 30 days of the month. The yashts (hymns) are each addressed to one of 21 deities such as Mithra, Anahita, or Verethraghna. The Hadhoxt Nask (“Section Containing Sayings”) describes the fate of the soul after death. The Khūrda…

sepsis: Related conditions: Sepsis is also distinguished from systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a condition that can arise independent of infection (e.g., from factors such as burns or trauma).

Sirsa, city, extreme western Haryana state, northwestern India. It is situated on the edge of the Thar (Great Indian) Desert. Sirsa town and fort, known in antiquity as Sarsuti, are said to have been built by a Raja Saras (c. 250 ce). It was one of the most important 14th-century towns of northern

Gulf of Sidra, arm of the Mediterranean Sea, indenting the Libyan coast of northern Africa. It extends eastward for 275 mi (443 km) from Miṣrātah to Banghāzī. A highway links scattered oases along its shore, which is chiefly desert, with salt marshes. In August the gulf’s water temperature reaches

Gulf of Sidra: …was the scene of the Battle of Sirte (March 1942), in which a British naval convoy thwarted attacks from Italian warships and German bombers. In the 1980s Libya established across the gulf a national boundary and stated that no foreign vessels were allowed to pass; this precipitated several brief military…

Gulf of Sidra, arm of the Mediterranean Sea, indenting the Libyan coast of northern Africa. It extends eastward for 275 mi (443 km) from Miṣrātah to Banghāzī. A highway links scattered oases along its shore, which is chiefly desert, with salt marshes. In August the gulf’s water temperature reaches

Sirtica, sandy desert region that is essentially a northward extension of the Sahara (desert), north-central Libya; it is the site of one of the world’s largest oil fields. The region fronts the Mediterranean Sea for about 300 miles (480 km) along the southern part of the Gulf of Sidra and extends

aging: Sirtuins: Calorie restriction can activate genes known as sirtuins (Sir2 in yeast, Sirt1 in mice, and SIRT1 in humans). In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruit fly Drosophila, sirtuins actually function as anti-aging genes. In yeast Sir2 regulates genes across large segments of chromosomes.

vocal music: Medieval and Renaissance periods: Service songs, called sirventes in southern France (Spruch in German), deal with didactic, political, or personal matters, perhaps in a satirical fashion. Other texts record events of the court, such as marriages, deaths, or participation in Crusades. Among the more traditional songs from northern France are the chansons…

Lithuanian literature: Širvydas’ Dictionarium trium linguarum (1629), is noteworthy.

Sabaʾ: A second major city was Ṣirwāḥ.

Saudi Arabia: Daily life and social customs: …of slacks known as a sirwāl. In public women are expected to be fully veiled, and a long black cloak known as an ʿabāyah is worn. A veil called a hijab covers the head, and another known as a niqāb covers the face. Among Bedouin, women’s clothing is often quite…

police: Computerization: …established a computerized information system—the Schengen Information System (SIS)—which allows the authorities of certain member states, plus some other European countries, to send or receive data about criminals, missing persons, stolen property, and other matters of interest to law enforcement officers. Each member of the EU, however, must devise its…

Anatolia: The Cimmerians, Lydia, and Cilicia, c. 700–547 bce: …prince of Kundu (Cyinda) and Sissu (Sisium, modern Sis), who had allied himself with Phoenician rebels against Assyrian rule. The regions to the north of the Cilician plain repeatedly caused trouble for Assyria. Early in the reign of Ashurbanipal (668–627), however, another Cimmerian invasion threatened the Anatolian states, arousing such…

styrene-butadiene and styrene-isoprene block copolymers: SBS and SIS are thermoplastic elastomers, blends that exhibit both the elasticity and resilience of butadiene rubber or isoprene rubber (natural rubber) and the ability of polystyrene to be molded and shaped under the influence of heat.

MI6, British government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and appropriate dissemination of foreign intelligence. MI6 is also charged with the conduct of espionage activities outside British territory. It has existed in various forms since the establishment of a secret service in 1569

kebab: …best-known of the latter is shish kebab, although this term is unrevealing inasmuch as it means simply “skewered meat” (from the Turkish şiş kebap). It has a close cousin in shashlik, eaten in the Caucasus region and Russia. Beef or lamb is the preferred meat in the Middle East, although…

Sisaket, town, eastern Thailand. Sisaket lies on the railway between Nakhon Ratchasima and Udon Thani. The surrounding area is one of Thailand’s poorest regions; rice and tobacco are the main products. The region borders Cambodia and has a substantial Khmer-speaking population. Pop. (2000)

sisal, (Agave sisalana), plant of the family Asparagaceae and its fibre, the most important of the leaf fibre group. The plant is native to Central America, where its fibre has been used since pre-Columbian times. Commercial interest in sisal was stimulated by the development of the machine grain

Agavoideae: Sisal hemp, from A. sisalana, is the most-valuable hard fibre. Henequen fibre is obtained from A. fourcroyoides and cantala, or Manila-Maguey fibre, from A. cantala. Some species of Agave, notably A. tequilana, contain a sap that is fermented to produce alcoholic drinks,

Agavoideae: Sisal hemp, from A. sisalana, is the most-valuable hard fibre. Henequen fibre is obtained from A. fourcroyoides and cantala, or Manila-Maguey fibre, from A. cantala. Some species of Agave, notably A. tequilana, contain a sap that is fermented to produce alcoholic drinks,

Sanandaj, city, capital of Kordestan province, northwestern Iran. It is located at an elevation of 4,990 feet (1,521 metres) at the foot of Mount Abidar. The city was called Sisar, meaning “30 heads,” in the itineraries of Ibn Khuradādhbih and Qudāmeh. The population is mostly Kurdish. The city was

iridosmine: …osmium than iridium are called siserskite. Both iridosmine and siserskite crystallize in the hexagonal system. For detailed properties, see native element (table).

Sishu, four ancient Confucian texts that were used as official subject matter for civil service examinations in China from 1313 to 1905 and that usually serve to introduce Chinese students to Confucian literature. Students later turn to the more extensive and, generally speaking, more difficult

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is an Egyptian military officer who became Egypt’s de facto leader in July 2013, after the country’s military removed Pres. Mohammed Morsi from power following mass protests against his rule. Sisi was elected president in May 2014 and elected to a second term in March 2018.

Sisimiut, town on the west-central coast of Greenland, near the mouth of Amerloq Fjord. The Danish settled the site in 1764, and a church (still standing) was built in 1773. The Gammelhuset (Old House), constructed in 1756, served as the residence of the first Danish governor of Greenland.

Archelaus was the last king of Cappadocia (reigned 36 bc–c. ad 17), a Roman client during the late republic and the early empire. Although granted the kingdom by Mark Antony, Archelaus retained his crown by making peace with Octavian (later the emperor Augustus) after Antony’s defeat at the Battle

Tattenai was the Persian governor of the province west of the Euphrates River (eber nāri, “beyond the river”) during the reign of Darius I (522–486 bce). According to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) Book of Ezra, Tattenai led an investigation into the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem about

Sisinnius was a pope from Jan. 15 to Feb. 4, 708. He was consecrated about Jan. 15, 708. Threatened by the exarch of Ravenna, the Lombards, and the Muslims, Sisinnius ordered the walls of Rome reinforced. He was buried in St. Peter’s

Anatolia: The Cimmerians, Lydia, and Cilicia, c. 700–547 bce: …prince of Kundu (Cyinda) and Sissu (Sisium, modern Sis), who had allied himself with Phoenician rebels against Assyrian rule. The regions to the north of the Cilician plain repeatedly caused trouble for Assyria. Early in the reign of Ashurbanipal (668–627), however, another Cimmerian invasion threatened the Anatolian states, arousing such…

Roger Ebert: …Ebert & the Movies (later Siskel & Ebert). As part of his on-air commentary, Ebert originated the famed thumbs-up, thumbs-down rating system, and the phrase “two thumbs up” was later copyrighted. Each week Ebert and Siskel carried on unscripted discussions of the films they reviewed, and their immense popularity was…

Roger Ebert: …Ebert & the Movies (later Siskel & Ebert). As part of his on-air commentary, Ebert originated the famed thumbs-up, thumbs-down rating system, and the phrase “two thumbs up” was later copyrighted. Each week Ebert and Siskel carried on unscripted discussions of the films they reviewed, and their immense popularity was…

Gene Siskel was an American journalist and film critic for the Chicago Tribune who became one of the most-influential movie reviewers in the United States when he teamed up with fellow film critic Roger Ebert from the rival Chicago Sun-Times on a weekly television program. Their signature “thumbs

Gene Siskel was an American journalist and film critic for the Chicago Tribune who became one of the most-influential movie reviewers in the United States when he teamed up with fellow film critic Roger Ebert from the rival Chicago Sun-Times on a weekly television program. Their signature “thumbs

siskin, any of about 20 small brown-streaked birds, marked with yellow, that belong chiefly to the genus Carduelis (including Spinus) of the family Fringillidae. Siskins occur from cold northern regions, worldwide, to the Cape of Good Hope and to Cape Horn. All have conical bills and short forked

Aaron Siskind was an influential American teacher, editor, and photographer who is best known for his innovations in abstract photography. Siskind began to photograph in 1932, while he was an English teacher in the New York City public-school system. As a member of the Photo League, he participated

George Sisler was an American professional baseball player, considered by some the greatest of all first basemen. As a student at the University of Michigan, Sisler excelled in baseball, football, and basketball. He entered the major leagues directly with the St. Louis Browns of the American League

George Sisler was an American professional baseball player, considered by some the greatest of all first basemen. As a student at the University of Michigan, Sisler excelled in baseball, football, and basketball. He entered the major leagues directly with the St. Louis Browns of the American League

Alfred Sisley painter who was one of the creators of French Impressionism. Although his wealthy English parents had originally intended him for commerce, Sisley began painting as an amateur, and in Charles Gleyre’s studio in 1862 he began his association with Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir,

J.-C.-L. Simonde de Sismondi was a Swiss economist and historian who warned against the perils of unchecked industrialism. His pioneering theories on the nature of economic crises and the risks of limitless competition, overproduction, and underconsumption influenced such later economists as Karl

J.-C.-L. Simonde de Sismondi was a Swiss economist and historian who warned against the perils of unchecked industrialism. His pioneering theories on the nature of economic crises and the risks of limitless competition, overproduction, and underconsumption influenced such later economists as Karl

chloritoid: … the magnesium-rich variety is called sismondine. For chemical formula and detailed properties, see mica (table).

Udaipur: …in the 8th century by Sisodia Rajputs (warrior rulers of the historic region of Rajputana). The dynasty later made a long resistance to the Muslim invasions. In the 18th century the state suffered from internal dissension and incursions by the Marathas. It came under British paramountcy in 1818. In 1948…

ostariophysan: Annotated classification: Family Sisoridae (mountain-stream catfishes) Ventral surface flat; thorax with longitudinal plates or adhesive organ. Size to 30 cm (12 inches). Asia. 17 genera, at least 112 species. Family Clariidae (air-breathing catfishes) Long dorsal and anal fins without spines; adipose fin usually lacking. Treelike air-breathing organ. Food

Sisowath was the king of Cambodia from 1904 until his death. He was a figurehead for the French colonial administration, which had secured the protectorate over Cambodia in a treaty signed by Sisowath’s half-brother Norodom in 1863. With Norodom, Sisowath received his education under the

Sisowath was the king of Cambodia from 1904 until his death. He was a figurehead for the French colonial administration, which had secured the protectorate over Cambodia in a treaty signed by Sisowath’s half-brother Norodom in 1863. With Norodom, Sisowath received his education under the

The Difference Between a Tribe and a Band: …those tribes, such as the Sisseton (Dakota), Sicangu (Lakota), and Yankton (Nakota), came to be called bands.

Noble Sissle was an American lyricist, vocalist, and bandleader who is best known today for his work with pianist and composer Eubie Blake. Sissle and Blake cocreated Shuffle Along, the 1921 musical comedy that broke from the caricatured imagery of blackface minstrelsy to restore authentic Black

Noble Sissle was an American lyricist, vocalist, and bandleader who is best known today for his work with pianist and composer Eubie Blake. Sissle and Blake cocreated Shuffle Along, the 1921 musical comedy that broke from the caricatured imagery of blackface minstrelsy to restore authentic Black

Delhi: City site: The sissoo (shisham; Dalbergia sissoo) tree, which yields a dark brown and durable timber, is commonly found in the plains. Riverine vegetation, consisting of weeds and grass, occurs on the banks of the Yamuna. New Delhi is known for its flowering shade trees, such as the neem (Azadirachta…

Anatolia: The Cimmerians, Lydia, and Cilicia, c. 700–547 bce: …prince of Kundu (Cyinda) and Sissu (Sisium, modern Sis), who had allied himself with Phoenician rebels against Assyrian rule. The regions to the north of the Cilician plain repeatedly caused trouble for Assyria. Early in the reign of Ashurbanipal (668–627), however, another Cimmerian invasion threatened the Anatolian states, arousing such…

Missy Elliott: …DeVante Swing signed Elliott’s group, Sista, to his Swing Mob Records label. Lack of funds prevented the release of Sista’s debut album, however, and the group subsequently broke up. Elliott teamed up with childhood friend Timbaland to cowrite and coproduce songs for the American rhythm-and-blues artists Jodeci and Aaliyah. Elliott…

Sīstān, extensive border region, eastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan. Forty percent of its area is in Iran, as well as the majority of its sparse population. The region comprises a large depression some 1,500–1,700 feet (450–520 m) in elevation. Numerous rivers fill a series of lagoons

Sīstān, extensive border region, eastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan. Forty percent of its area is in Iran, as well as the majority of its sparse population. The region comprises a large depression some 1,500–1,700 feet (450–520 m) in elevation. Numerous rivers fill a series of lagoons

Ali al-Sistani is an Iranian-born Shiʿi cleric and a leader of the Iraqi Shiʿi community. Born to a prominent religious family, Sistani studied the Qurʾān from a young age. In his early 20s he left Iran to continue his studies in Iraq, becoming a disciple of Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei in

Ali al-Sistani is an Iranian-born Shiʿi cleric and a leader of the Iraqi Shiʿi community. Born to a prominent religious family, Sistani studied the Qurʾān from a young age. In his early 20s he left Iran to continue his studies in Iraq, becoming a disciple of Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei in