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Akali ... Akrotiri

Akali (Punjabi: "Timeless One," or "Eternal One"), a movement in Sikhism; also any member of suicide squads in the armies of the Sikhs, a religious group of India. The Akali suicide squads first appeared about 1690 when the execution of two predecessors and continuing persecution by the Mughals forced the 10th ... Akan ethnolinguistic grouping of peoples of the Guinea Coast who speak Akan languages (of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family). They include the speakers of the Akyem, Anyi, Asante (Ashanti), Attie, Baule, Brong, Chakosi, Fante (Fanti), and Guang languages; some scholars also consider Twi a distinct Akan language. Most Akan ... Akan languages dialect cluster of the Nyo group within the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Its principal members are Asante (Ashanti), Fante (Fanti), Brong (Abron), and Akuapem. The Akan cluster is located primarily in southern Ghana, although many Brong speakers live in eastern Cote d'Ivoire. Altogether speakers of Akan dialects ... Akan states historical complex of gold-producing forest states in western Africa lying between the Comoe and Volta rivers (in an area roughly corresponding to the coastal lands of the modern republics of Togo, Ghana, and, in part, Cote d'Ivoire). Their economic, political, and social systems were transformed from the 16th to the ... Akari Japanese satellite observatory that carried a 67-cm (26-inch) near- to far-infrared telescope. On February 22, 2006, Akari ("Light" in Japanese) was launched from the Uchinoura Space Center in Japan. Its mission was to produce an infrared map of the entire sky that would improve on the map made by the ... Akaroa community, eastern South Island, New Zealand. It is situated on the shore of French Bay, inside Akaroa Harbour, which is a rocky inlet on the Banks Peninsula formed when the sea breached the erosion-enlarged crater of an ancient volcano. Akashi city, Hyogo ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. The city is adjacent to Kobe on the Akashi Strait of the Inland Sea. It developed as a castle town, and many relics of the Jomon and Yayoi periods remain on the nearby hills. Artifacts of the Jomon period (4500-250 BC; a hunting and ... Akashi Strait Bridge suspension bridge across the Akashi Strait (Akashi-kaikyo) in west-central Japan. It was the world's longest suspension bridge when it opened on April 5, 1998. The six-lane road bridge connects the city of Kobe, on the main island of Honshu, to Iwaya, on Awaji Island, which in turn is linked (via ... Akashic record in occultism, a compendium of pictorial records, or "memories," of all events, actions, thoughts, and feelings that have occurred since the beginning of time. They are said to be imprinted on Akasha, the astral light, which is described by spiritualists as a fluid ether existing beyond the range of human ... Akatsuki space probe designed to investigate Venus in Japan's first mission to the planet. An H-IIA rocket launched it on May 21, 2010, from the Tanegashima Space Centre on Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima prefecture. The H-IIA launch vehicle carried not only Akatsuki but also IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the ... Akbar greatest of the Mughal emperors of India, who reigned from 1556 to 1605 and who extended Mughal power over most of the Indian subcontinent. In order to preserve the unity of his empire, Akbar adopted programs that won the loyalty of the non-Muslim populations of his realm. He reformed and ... Akbar period architecture building style that developed in India under the patronage of the Mughal emperor Akbar (reigned 1556-1605). The architecture of the Akbar period is characterized by a strength made elegant and graceful by its rich decorative work, which reflects many traditional Hindu elements. The style is best exemplified by the fort ... Akebia genus of woody vines comprising two species native to Asia but introduced elsewhere for their ornamental foliage and fast growth. The genus belongs to the family Lardizabalaceae. Akebono American-born Japanese sumo wrestler, who, in January 1993, became the first non-Japanese person to be elevated to yokozuna (grand champion) status, the highest rank in professional sumo. Akedah referring to the binding of Isaac as related in Genesis 22. Abraham bound his son Isaac on an altar at Moriah, as he had been instructed by God. An angel stopped Abraham when he was about to slay his son and replaced Isaac with a ram; this is the last ... akee (Blighia sapida), tree of the soapberry family native to West Africa, widely cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions for its edible fruit. The tree grows about 9 metres (30 feet) tall and bears pinnate leaves and fragrant white flowers. Brought to the Caribbean area with slaves from Africa, the akee ... Akeley, Carl E. American naturalist and explorer who developed the taxidermic method for mounting museum displays to show animals in their natural surroundings. His method of applying skin on a finely molded replica of the body of the animal gave results of unprecedented realism and elevated taxidermy from a craft to an art. ... Akenside, Mark poet and physician, best known for his poem The Pleasures of Imagination, an eclectic philosophical essay that takes as its starting point papers on the same subject written by Joseph Addison for The Spectator. Written in blank verse derived from Milton's, it was modelled (as its preface states) on the ... Akerlof, George A. American economist who, with A. Michael Spence and Joseph E. Stiglitz, won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2001 for laying the foundation for the theory of markets with asymmetric information. akermanite mineral composed of dicalcium magnesium disilicate, Ca2MgSi2O7, one end-member of the melilite mineral series (see melilite). Akers, Ronald L. American criminologist widely known for his social learning theory of crime. After earning a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Kentucky (1966), Akers taught at several universities before joining the faculty of the University of Florida (1980), where he served as professor of sociology and director of the Center ... akh in Egyptian religion, the spirit of a deceased person and, with the ka and the ba, a principal aspect of the soul. By enabling the soul to assume temporarily any form it desired for the purpose of revisiting the earth or for its own enjoyment, the akh characterized the soul ... Akhdar Mountains mountain range of northeastern Libya that extends along the Mediterranean coast for about 100 miles (160 km) in an east-northeasterly direction between the towns of al-Marj and Darnah. Rising sharply in two steps, the first reaching 985 feet (300 m) and the second about 1,800 feet (550 m), the limestone ... Akhenaton king (1353-36 BCE) of ancient Egypt of the 18th dynasty, who established a new cult dedicated to the Aton, the sun's disk (hence his assumed name, Akhenaton, meaning "beneficial to Aton"). Akhisar town, western Turkey, in a fertile plain on the Great Zab River (the ancient Lycus). The ancient town, originally called Pelopia, was probably founded by the Lydians. It was made a Macedonian colony about 290 BC and renamed Thyatira. It became part of the kingdom of Pergamum in 190 BC ... Akhlame ancient Semitic nomads of northern Syria and Mesopotamia and traditional enemies of the Assyrians. They are first mentioned about 1375 BC in an Egyptian source (one of the Tell el-Amarna letters), in which they are said to have advanced as far as the Euphrates River; about the same time there ... Akhmadulina, Bella Russian-language poet of Tatar and Italian descent, a distinctive voice in post-Stalinist Soviet literature. Akhmatova, Anna Russian poet recognized at her death as the greatest woman poet in Russian literature. Akhmim town, Sawhaj muhafazah (governorate), Upper Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile River, above Sawhaj on the west bank. Extensive necropolises dating from the 6th dynasty (c. 2325-c. 2150 BCE) until the late Coptic period reveal the site's antiquity. In 1981 remains of a temple (Roman period) with Ramesside ... Akhtal, al- poet of the Umayyad period (661-750), esteemed for his perfection of Arabic poetic form in the old Bedouin tradition. Akiba ben Joseph Jewish sage, a principal founder of rabbinic Judaism. He introduced a new method of interpreting Jewish oral law (Halakha), thereby laying the foundation of what was to become the Mishna, the first postbiblical written code of Jewish law. Akihito emperor of Japan from 1989. As scion of the oldest imperial family in the world, he was, according to tradition, the 125th direct descendant of Jimmu, Japan's legendary first emperor. Akimov, Nikolay Pavlovich scenic designer and producer, known for the diversity of his bold experiments in stage design and dramatic interpretation-most especially for his cynical reinterpretation of Hamlet (1932), in which the king's ghost was represented as a fiction cunningly devised by Hamlet, Ophelia was portrayed as intoxicated rather than mad, and her ... Akindynos, Gregorios Byzantine monk and theologian who was the principal opponent of Hesychasm, a Greek monastic movement of contemplative prayer. He was eventually condemned for heresy. Akinola, Peter Nigerian Anglican archbishop and primate of the church of Nigeria who in 2007 created a controversial American diocese to welcome discontented Episcopal parishes to a more conservative branch of the Anglican church. Akintola, Samuel Ladoke administrator and politician, premier of the Western Region of Nigeria and an early victim of the January 1966 military coup. Akita ken (prefecture), northwestern Honshu, Japan, on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) coast. The prefecture is divided between lowlands (west) and a plateau region (east). The Hachiman Plateau is dotted with volcanoes such as Mount Komaga (5,371 feet [1,637 m]), near the eastern border with Iwate prefecture. The plateau is ... Akita breed of working dog that originated in the mountains of northern Japan. In 1931 the Japanese government designated the breed as a national treasure. It was employed as a hunting and fighting dog and is now trained for police and guard work. The Akita is a powerful, muscular dog with ... Akiyama Toyohiro Japanese journalist and television reporter, the first Japanese citizen and the first journalist to travel into space. Akiyama was also the first fare-paying civilian passenger (nonprofessional astronaut) to participate in a spaceflight. Akkad ancient region in what is now central Iraq. Akkad was the northern (or northwestern) division of ancient Babylonian civilization. The region was located roughly in the area where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (see Tigris-Euphrates river system) are closest to each other, and its northern limit extended beyond the line ... Akkadian language extinct Semitic language of the Northern Peripheral group, spoken in Mesopotamia from the 3rd to the 1st millennium BCE. Akkerman, Convention of (Oct. 7, 1826), agreement signed in Akkerman, Moldavia (now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyy, Ukraine), between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, whereby the Ottomans accepted, under threat of war, Russia's demands concerning Serbia and the Danube principalities of Moldavia and Walachia. Akko city, northwest Israel. It lies along the Mediterranean Sea, at the north end of the Bay of Haifa (formerly Bay of Acre). Its natural harbour was a frequent target for Palestine's many invaders over the centuries. The earliest mention of 'Akko is in an Egyptian text dating from the 19th ... Ako city, Hyogo ken (prefecture), western Honshu, Japan. During the Heian period (794-1185), it was a seaside resort for courtesans from Kyoto. It became a castle town in the 17th century, when the powerful Ikeda clan took up residence. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the establishment of chemical factories ... Akola city, north-central Maharashtra state, western India, on the Murna River. An important road and rail junction in the Tapti River valley, it is a commercial centre trading chiefly in cotton. In the past it was incorporated in turn into several local Muslim kingdoms. Akola is an important educational centre with ... Akosombo Dam rock-fill dam on the Volta River, near Akosombo, Ghana, completed in 1965 as part of the Volta River Project. Its construction was jointly financed by the government of Ghana, the World Bank, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The dam rises 440 feet (134 m) above ground level and ... Akram, Wasim Pakistani cricket player generally regarded as the greatest left-handed bowler of all time, arguably among the very best fast bowlers ever, and an outstanding all-rounder, who helped lead Pakistan to the World Cup championship of one-day international (ODI) cricket in 1992. akriyavada set of beliefs held by heretic teachers in India who were contemporaries of the Buddha. The doctrine was a kind of antinomianism that, by denying the orthodox karmic theory of the efficacy of former deeds on a person's present and future condition, also denied the possibility of a person's influencing ... Akron city, seat (1842) of Summit county, northeastern Ohio, U.S. It lies along the Cuyahoga River, about 40 miles (64 km) south-southeast of Cleveland. Akron is the centre of a metropolitan area that includes the cities of Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge, and Stow and several villages. At 1,081 feet (329 metres) above ... Akron, University of public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Akron, Ohio, U.S. While the university is known for its research in polymer engineering and science, it also offers a curriculum of liberal arts, business, and education courses, including master's degree programs. Doctoral degrees are available in a number of fields, including sociology, ... Akrotiri British military enclave in south-central Cyprus that was retained as a "sovereign base area" by the United Kingdom under the London Agreement of 1959 granting the independence of Cyprus. Located southwest of Limassol, the enclave comprises Akrotiri Peninsula, the southernmost part of the island, and a small coastal area north ...