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Timbuktu Manuscripts is an umbrella term for what were a large number of manuscripts (estimates range in the hundreds of thousands) which had been preserved by private households in Timbuktu (and some other locations), Mali. A large portion of the manuscripts had to do with art, medicine, science, and calligraphy of the late Abbasid Caliphate, and even multiple priceless old copies of the Quran.<br/><br/> The majority of manuscripts were written in Arabic, but some were also in local languages, including Songhay and Tamasheq. The dates of the manuscripts ranged between the late 13th and the early 20th centuries (i.e., from the Islamisation of the Mali Empire until the decline of traditional education in French Sudan). Their subject matter ranged from scholarly works to short letters. The manuscripts were passed down in Timbuktu families and were mostly in poor condition. Most of the manuscripts remain unstudied and uncatalogued, and their total number is unknown, amenable only to rough estimates. A selection of about 160 manuscripts from the Mamma Haidara Library in Timbuktu and the Ahmed Baba collection were digitized by the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project in the 2000s.<br/><br/> With the demise of Arabic education in Mali under French colonial rule, appreciation for the medieval manuscripts declined in Timbuktu, and many were being sold off.<br/><br/> Many of the manuscripts were reported destroyed, along with many other monuments of medieval Islamic culture in Timbuktu, by the Islamist rebels of Ansar Dine in the Northern Mali conflict. The Ahmed Baba Institute and a library, both containing thousands of manuscripts, were said to have been burnt as the Islamists retreated from Timbuktu in January 2013.However, a former Malian presidential aide, as well as several other people involved with preserving the manuscripts, claim that the documents had been evacuated into a safe location in 2012 before the fighters invaded Timbuktu.
Muhammed Fethullah Gulen is the founder of the 'Gulen' movement (known as Hizmet in Turkey), and the inspiration for its largest organization, the Alliance for Shared Values. <br/><br/> Gulen teaches a moderate Hanafi version of Islam, deriving from the teachings of Sunni Muslim scholar Said Nursi. Gulen has stated that he believes in science, interfaith dialogue among the People of the Book, and multi-party democracy. He has initiated such dialogue with the Vatican and some Jewish organizations. <br/><br/> He is currently on Turkey's most-wanted-terrorist list and is accused of leading what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and ruling AK Party officials call the 'Gulenist Terror Organisation'.
Muhammed Fethullah Gulen is the founder of the 'Gulen' movement (known as Hizmet in Turkey), and the inspiration for its largest organization, the Alliance for Shared Values. <br/><br/> Gulen teaches a moderate Hanafi version of Islam, deriving from the teachings of Sunni Muslim scholar Said Nursi. Gulen has stated that he believes in science, interfaith dialogue among the People of the Book, and multi-party democracy. He has initiated such dialogue with the Vatican and some Jewish organizations. <br/><br/> He is currently on Turkey's most-wanted-terrorist list and is accused of leading what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and ruling AK Party officials call the 'Gulenist Terror Organisation'.
This levha panel praises Muhammad's son-in-law 'Ali and his famous double-edged sword Dhu al-Fiqar, which he inherited from the Prophet, with the topmost statement executed in black ink: 'There is no victory except 'Ali [and] there is no sword except Dhu al-Fiqar' (la fath ila 'Ali, la sayf ila Dhu al-Fiqar). The vocalization for this proclamation is executed in red ink.<br/><br/> Immediately below the inscription eulogizing 'Ali appear several lines executed in red (vocalized in blue ink), blue (vocalized in red ink), and black (vocalized in red ink) praising the Imam, the Prophet Muhammad, and God. The four diagonal lines executed in blue ink provide a supplementary eulogistic quatrain in honor of a ruler by drawing a parallel to the great Persian kings Jamshid and Feridun.<br/><br/> In the lower right corner, the artist Farid al-Din has signed his work with the expression katabahu Farid al-Din ('Farid al-Din wrote this'). Unfortunately, this single calligraphic panel is not dated. As levhas are typical of 19th-century Turkish calligraphic traditions, it is quite possible that this piece was executed at the time for a patron with Shi'i inclinations either in Turkey or Iran.
Ghalib Ali Al Hinai (Arabic: غالب بن علي الهنائي‎) (c. 1908 or 1912 – 29 November 2009) was the last elected Imam of the Imamate of Oman.<br/><br/> From 1954, he led the Imamate of Oman in Nizwa and Oman proper in the Jebel Akhdar revolt against Sultan Said Bin Taimur. The war lasted 5 years until the Sultan of Oman's armed forces, aided by colonial British soldiers from the Special Air Service, had put down the Jebel Akhdar revolt in 1959. Imam Ghalib Al Hinai managed to escape to Saudi Arabia. He continued for a short time to lead a temporary government-in-exile from Dammam, Saudi Arabia while the fighting continued in Oman.<br/><br/> He continued to receive many visitors from Oman up until his death and remaioned deeply. He was known for his faithful adherence to his religion. He died on 29 November 2009 at the age of 96 (or 101) in Dammam.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Ox Street Mosque or Cow Street Mosque (牛街清真寺; Niu Jie Qingzhensi) was first built in 966. It was destroyed in 1215 by Genghis Khan. Reconstruction of the mosque occurred during the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661 - 1722).<br/><br/> The mosque has all the usual features of mosques found elsewhere in the world – minaret, prayer hall facing Mecca, Arabic inscriptions – the buildings themselves are distinctly Chinese. It remains Beijing’s largest and oldest mosque.
Panglong in the Wa regions near the China border is a town founded by Chinese Muslim settlers in the trans-Salween Wa States. It became an important Hui (Chinese Muslim) settlement after the collapse of the Yunnan Muslim rebellion (1856 - 1873).<br/><br/> Chinese muleteers were known to the Burmese as Panthay, and to the Thai and Lao as Haw or Chin Haw. They were - and to some extent still are - the masters of the Golden Triangle.<br/><br/> Yunnanese Chinese muleteers have for several centuries been the traders of the 'Golden Triangle' formed by the junction between Burma, China, Laos and Thailand. Travelling as far afield as Moulmein in Burma, Chengdu in China, Luang Prabang in Laos, Chiang Mai in Thailand and Lhasa in Tibet, they have long been indomitable caravan masters and today continue to thrive in motorized long distance commerce.
Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب;, c.598-661 CE). The son of Abu Talib, Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, Muhammad, ruling over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam.<br/><br/> Sunnis consider Ali the fourth and final of the Rashidun (rightly guided) Caliphs, while Shia regard Ali as the first Imam and consider him and his descendants the rightful successors to Muhammad, all of which are members of the Ahl al-Bayt, the household of Muhammad. This disagreement split the Ummah (Muslim community) into the Sunni and Shia branches.
The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in the Twelver or Ithna-‘ashariyyah branch of Shī‘ah Islam. According to the theology of Twelvers, the successor of Muhammad is an infallible human individual who not only rules over the community with justice, but also is able to keep and interpret the Divine Law and its esoteric meaning. The Prophet and Imams' words and deeds are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin, and must be chosen by divine decree, or nass, through the Prophet.<br/><br/> According to Twelvers, there is always an Imam of the Age, who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community. ‘Alī was the first Imam of this line, and in the Twelvers' view, the rightful successor to the Prophet of Islam, followed by male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah Zahra. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of Husayn ibn Ali, who was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali. The twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and hidden until he returns to bring justice to the world.
The rugged, indomitable Chinese muleteers known to the Burmese as Panthay, and to the Thai and Lao as Haw or Chin Haw, were—and to some extent still are—the masters of the Golden Triangle. Certainly they were the traders par excellence, penetrating into the remotest reaches of forbidden territory such as the Wa States, whilst at the same time their mule caravans, laden with everything from precious stones and jade to opium and copper pans, traded as far as Luang Prabang in Laos, Moulmein in Burma, Dali and Kunming in Yunnan, and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.<br/><br/> Doi Mae Salong was once an impoverished, heavily-armed Kuomintang (KMT) outpost, it is today a tranquil oasis of tea gardens, fruit orchards and Yunnanese-style houses.
Almost every town in Burma with a Panthay population has its 'Panthay Balee' or Chinese Muslim mosque. Some of the more important are in Rangoon, Taunggyi, Mogok, Myitkyina, and Lashio.<br/><br/> The rugged, indomitable Chinese muleteers known to the Burmese as Panthay, and to the Thai and Lao as Haw or Chin Haw, were—and to some extent still are—the masters of the Golden Triangle. Certainly they were the traders par excellence, penetrating into the remotest reaches of forbidden territory such as the Wa States, whilst at the same time their mule caravans, laden with everything from precious stones and jade to opium and copper pans, traded as far as Luang Prabang in Laos, Moulmein in Burma, Dali and Kunming in Yunnan, and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.<br/><br/> Tachilek is a border town in eastern Burma. It marks an important border point with Thailand.
The rugged, indomitable Chinese muleteers known to the Burmese as Panthay, and to the Thai and Lao as Haw or Chin Haw, were—and to some extent still are—the masters of the Golden Triangle. Certainly they were the traders par excellence, penetrating into the remotest reaches of forbidden territory such as the Wa States, whilst at the same time their mule caravans, laden with everything from precious stones and jade to opium and copper pans, traded as far as Luang Prabang in Laos, Moulmein in Burma, Dali and Kunming in Yunnan, and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.<br/><br/> Doi Mae Salong was once an impoverished, heavily-armed Kuomintang (KMT) outpost, it is today a tranquil oasis of tea gardens, fruit orchards and Yunnanese-style houses.
Almost every town in Burma with a Panthay population has its 'Panthay Balee' or Chinese Muslim mosque. Some of the more important are in Rangoon, Taunggyi, Mogok, Myitkyina, and Lashio. However, the most architecturally interesting, and the one with the oldest history, is the Panthay Mosque at Mandalay.
Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب;, c.598-661 CE). The son of Abu Talib, Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, Muhammad, ruling over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam.<br/><br/> Sunnis consider Ali the fourth and final of the Rashidun (rightly guided) Caliphs, while Shia regard Ali as the first Imam and consider him and his descendants the rightful successors to Muhammad, all of which are members of the Ahl al-Bayt, the household of Muhammad. This disagreement split the Ummah (Muslim community) into the Sunni and Shia branches.
Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî was a 13th-century Arab Islamic artist. Al-Wasiti was born in Wasit in southern Iraq. He was noted for his illustrations of the Maqam of al-Hariri.<br/><br/> Maqāma (literally 'assemblies') are an (originally) Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century. Both authors' maqāmāt center on trickster figures whose wanderings and exploits in speaking to assemblies of the powerful are conveyed by a narrator.<br/><br/> Manuscripts of al-Harīrī's Maqāmāt, anecdotes of a roguish wanderer Abu Zayd from Saruj, were frequently illustrated with miniatures.
Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî was a 13th-century Arab Islamic artist. Al-Wasiti was born in Wasit in southern Iraq. He was noted for his illustrations of the Maqam of al-Hariri.<br/><br/> Maqāma (literally 'assemblies') are an (originally) Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century. Both authors' maqāmāt center on trickster figures whose wanderings and exploits in speaking to assemblies of the powerful are conveyed by a narrator.<br/><br/> Manuscripts of al-Harīrī's Maqāmāt, anecdotes of a roguish wanderer Abu Zayd from Saruj, were frequently illustrated with miniatures.
This Arabic panel praises Muhammad's son-in-law 'Ali and his famous double-edged sword Dhu al-Fiqar, which he inherited from the Prophet, with the topmost statement executed in black ink: 'There is no victory except in 'Ali [and] there is no sword except Dhu al-Fiqar' (la fath ila 'Ali, la sayf ila Dhu al-Fiqar).
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Islam was introduced to Yunnan in 1253 when Kublai Khan, the fifth emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, pacified Dali. In 1273, Sayyid All Omer Shams al-Din was appointed Prime Minister (now called governor) of Yunnan. During his reign, he established 12 mosques in Kunming. Islam has since spread all over Yunnan Province, mainly in Kunming, Yuxi, Honghe, Wenshan, Dali, Baoshan, Zhaotong, Chuxiong, Simao, and Qujing prefectures and municipalities. Many ethnic Hui, some Dais, Bais, Tibetans and Zhuangs have converted to Islam. There were an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Yunnan in May 1996, and some 717 mosques in service.
Islam was introduced to Yunnan in 1253 when Kublai Khan, the fifth emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, pacified Dali. In 1273, Sayyid All Omer Shams al-Din was appointed Prime Minister (now called governor) of Yunnan. During his reign, he established 12 mosques in Kunming. Islam has since spread all over Yunnan Province, mainly in Kunming, Yuxi, Honghe, Wenshan, Dali, Baoshan, Zhaotong, Chuxiong, Simao, and Qujing prefectures and municipalities. Many ethnic Hui, some Dais, Bais, Tibetans and Zhuangs have converted to Islam. There were an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Yunnan in May 1996, and some 717 mosques in service.
Ghalib Ali Al Hinai (Arabic: غالب بن علي الهنائي‎) (c. 1908 or 1912 – 29 November 2009) was the last elected Imam of the Imamate of Oman.<br/><br/> From 1954, he led the Imamate of Oman in Nizwa and Oman proper in the Jebel Akhdar revolt against Sultan Said Bin Taimur. The war lasted 5 years until the Sultan of Oman's armed forces, aided by colonial British soldiers from the Special Air Service, put down the Jebel Akhdar revolt in 1959. Imam Ghalib Al Hinai managed to escape to Saudi Arabia. He continued for a short time to lead a temporary government-in-exile from Dammam, Saudi Arabia while the fighting continued in Oman.<br/><br/> He continued to receive many visitors from Oman up until his death. He was known for his faithful adherence to his religion. He died on 29 November 2009 at the age of 96 (or 101) in Dammam.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/>Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Imam Asim Shrine and other tombs can be found 23 kilometres from Khotan (Hotan) on the southern Silk Road. It is the site of a huge pilgrimage each May.<br/><br/> Imam Asim was one of the first Islamic missionaries to visit this area.<br/><br/> Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/> It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/> In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/> In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.