MuharramMuḥarram (ٱلْمُحَرَّم) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after Ramadan. The tenth day of Muharram, known as the Day of Ashura, bears special significance for Muslims both of Shia and Sunni jurisprudence On this solemn occasion, Shia Muslims grieve the tragedy of Ḥusayn ibn Alī and his family.
MakranMakran (مكران), also mentioned in some sources as Mecran and Mokrān, is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It extends westwards, from the Sonmiani Bay to the northwest of Karachi in the east, to the fringes of the region of Bashkardia/Bāšgerd in the southern part of the Sistan and Baluchestan province of modern Iran. Makrān is thus bisected by the modern political boundary between Pakistan and Iran.
ThawbThe thawb (ثَوْب "garment"), also spelled thobe or tobe, is an ankle-length robe, usually with long sleeves. With regional variations in name and style, it is commonly worn by locals in the Arab world, more specifically the Arabian Peninsula, as well as Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, North Africa, and some countries in East and West Africa. The word thawb (ثَوْب) is the Arabic word for "garment". It is also romanized as thobe or thaub. The thawb is commonly worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula.
Workweek and weekendThe weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most of the world, the workweek is from Monday to Friday and the weekend is Saturday and Sunday. A weekday or workday is any day of the working week. Other institutions often follow this pattern, such as places of education.
MashriqThe Mashriq (ٱلْمَشْرِق), also known as the Arab Mashriq (ٱلْمَشْرِق ٱلْعَرَبِيّ), sometimes spelled Mashreq or Mashrek, is a term used by Arabs to refer to the eastern part of the Arab world, located in Western Asia and eastern North Africa. Poetically the "Place of Sunrise", the name is derived from the verb sharaqa (شرق "to shine, illuminate, radiate" and "to rise"), from sh-r-q root (ش-ر-ق), referring to the east, where the sun rises.
Kuwaiti oil firesThe Kuwaiti oil fires were caused by the Iraqi military setting fire to a reported 605 to 732 oil wells along with an unspecified number of oil filled low-lying areas, such as oil lakes and fire trenches, as part of a scorched earth policy while retreating from Kuwait in 1991 due to the advances of US-led coalition forces in the Gulf War. The fires were started in January and February 1991, and the first oil well fires were extinguished in early April 1991, with the last well capped on November 6, 1991.
Gulf Cooperation CouncilThe Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The council's main headquarters is located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Charter of the GCC was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution.
Sasanian dynastyThe Sasanian dynasty (also known as the Sassanids or the House of Sasan) was the house that founded the Sasanian Empire of Iran, ruling this empire from 224 to 651 AD. It began with Ardashir I, who named the dynasty in honour of his predecessor, Sasan. The Shahanshah was the sole regent, head of state and head of government of the empire. At times, power shifted de facto to other officials, namely the spahbed.
Jamal KhashoggiJamal Ahmad Khashoggi (kəˈʃoʊɡdʒi,_kəˈʃɒɡdʒi; Jamāl ʾAḥmad Ḵāšuqjī, dʒaˈmaːl xaːˈʃʊɡ.(d)ʒi; 13 October 1958 – 2 October 2018) was a Saudi journalist, dissident, author, columnist for Middle East Eye and The Washington Post, and a general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 by agents of the Saudi government at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also served as editor for the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al Watan, turning it into a platform for Saudi progressives.
ShammarThe tribe of Shammar (Šammar) is a tribal Arab Qahtan confederation, descended from the Yemeni tribe of Tayy as they originated in Yemen before migrating into present-day Saudi Arabia. It is the biggest branch of the Tayy tribe, and one of the largest and most influential Arab tribes. The historical and traditional seat of the tribe's leadership is in the city of Ha'il in what was the Emirate of Jabal Shammar in Saudi Arabia.
