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Remarkable for their military prowess, their receptivity to Christianity, and their intricate all-embracing kinship network, the Kachins are a hardy mountain people living in the remote hills of northern Burma and on the peripheries of India and China.<br/><br/> 'Kachin' is actually a Burmese word that does not exist in any of the local dialects. Each Kachin tribe has a different name for themselves and their neighbours, but no word to describe the whole group. There are the Jinghpaw (known as Jingpo in China and Singpho in India), the Maru, the Lashi, the Atsi (or Szi), the Lisu and the Rawang—but those represent linguistic groups rather than actual nationalities. Far more important bonds are formed by an intricate system of clans, which cuts across tribal barriers.<br/><br/> Every 'Kachin' belongs to one of five original families: Marip, Maran, Lahpai, N'Hkum and Lattaw. These clans are related in an all-embracing kinship network of extreme complexity. In practice, however, this system binds together the Kachins into a remarkably tight-knit society.
Remarkable for their military prowess, their receptivity to Christianity, and their intricate all-embracing kinship network, the Kachins are a hardy mountain people living in the remote hills of northern Burma and on the peripheries of India and China.<br/><br/> 'Kachin' is actually a Burmese word that does not exist in any of the local dialects. Each Kachin tribe has a different name for themselves and their neighbours, but no word to describe the whole group. There are the Jinghpaw (known as Jingpo in China and Singpho in India), the Maru, the Lashi, the Atsi (or Szi), the Lisu and the Rawang—but those represent linguistic groups rather than actual nationalities. Far more important bonds are formed by an intricate system of clans, which cuts across tribal barriers.<br/><br/> Every 'Kachin' belongs to one of five original families: Marip, Maran, Lahpai, N'Hkum and Lattaw. These clans are related in an all-embracing kinship network of extreme complexity. In practice, however, this system binds together the Kachins into a remarkably tight-knit society.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
Thaana, Taana or Tāna is the present writing system of the Maldivian language spoken in the Maldives. Thaana has characteristics of both an abugida (diacritic, vowel-killer strokes) and a true alphabet (all vowels are written), with consonants derived from indigenous and Arabic numerals, and vowels derived from the vowel diacritics of the Arabic abjad. Its orthography is largely phonemic.
Jože Abram (also known as Josip Abram Trentar ), was born in Stanjel on February 2, 1875. He is most famous for his translation of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko's romantic poetry collection <i>Kobzar</i>.
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (March 9, 1814 – March 10, 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, as well as folklorist and ethnographer. His literary heritage is regarded to be the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature and, to a large extent, the modern Ukrainian language. Shevchenko is also known for many masterpieces as a painter and an illustrator.<br/><br/> He was a member of the Sts Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood and an academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1847 Shevchenko was politically convicted for writing in the Ukrainian language, promoting the independence of Ukraine and ridiculing the members of the Russian Imperial House.
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (March 9, 1814 – March 10, 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, as well as folklorist and ethnographer. His literary heritage is regarded to be the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature and, to a large extent, the modern Ukrainian language. Shevchenko is also known for many masterpieces as a painter and an illustrator.<br/><br/> He was a member of the Sts Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood and an academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1847 Shevchenko was politically convicted for writing in the Ukrainian language, promoting the independence of Ukraine and ridiculing the members of the Russian Imperial House.
The Pentaglot Dictionary (<i>Yuzhi Wuti Qing Wenjian</i>), also known as the Manchu Polyglot Dictionary, was a dictionary of major imperial languages compiled in the late Qianlong era (1711-1799) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), said to have been compiled some time in 1794. The work contains Manchu lexemes and their translations into various administrative languages such as Tibetan, Mongolian, post-classical or vernacular Chagatai (Eastern Turki, now known as Modern Uyghur since 1921) and Chinese.
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343 – 25 October 1400), celebrated as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to be buried in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.<br/><br/> While he achieved fame during his lifetime as an author, philosopher, and astronomer, composing a scientific treatise on the astrolabe for his ten-year-old son Lewis, Chaucer also maintained an active career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat. Among his many works are <i>The Book of the Duchess</i>, <i>The House of Fame</i>, <i>The Legend of Good Women</i> and <i>Troilus and Criseyde</i>. He is best known today for <i>The Canterbury Tales</i>.<br/><br/> Chaucer was a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of the vernacular, Middle English, at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin.
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343 – 25 October 1400), celebrated as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to be buried in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.<br/><br/> While he achieved fame during his lifetime as an author, philosopher, and astronomer, composing a scientific treatise on the astrolabe for his ten-year-old son Lewis, Chaucer also maintained an active career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat. Among his many works are <i>The Book of the Duchess</i>, <i>The House of Fame</i>, <i>The Legend of Good Women</i> and <i>Troilus and Criseyde</i>. He is best known today for <i>The Canterbury Tales</i>.<br/><br/> Chaucer was a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of the vernacular, Middle English, at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin.
Japanese woodblock print showing an American couple conversing; their conversation is translated into Japanese.<br/><br/> Utagawa Yoshitora was a designer of <i>ukiyo-e</i> Japanese woodblock prints and an illustrator of books and newspapers who was active from about 1850 to about 1880. He was born in Edo (modern Tokyo), but neither his date of birth nor date of death is known. He was the oldest pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi who excelled in prints of warriors, kabuki actors, beautiful women, and foreigners (<i>Yokohama-e</i>).
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges KBE (24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986), was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, and a key figure in Spanish-language literature.<br/><br/> His best-known books, <i>Ficciones</i> (Fictions) and <i>El Aleph</i> (The Aleph), published in the 1940s, are compilations of short stories interconnected by common themes, including dreams, labyrinths, libraries, mirrors, fictional writers, philosophy, and religion. Borges' works have contributed to philosophical literature and the fantasy genre.
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International (1919–1943), was an international communist organization that advocated world communism. The International intended to fight 'by all available means, including armed force, for the overthrow of the international bourgeoisie and for the creation of an international Soviet republic as a transition stage to the complete abolition of the State'.<br/><br/> The Comintern was founded after the 1915 Zimmerwald Conference in which Vladimir Lenin had organized the 'Zimmerwald Left' against those who refused to approve any statement explicitly endorsing socialist revolutionary action, and after the 1916 dissolution of the Second International.
The Khitan small script was one of two Khitan writing systems used for the now-extinct Khitan language. It was mainly used during the 10th–12th century by the Khitan people, who founded the Liao Empire in north-eastern China. The Khitans also used a functionally independent writing system known as the Khitan large script.<br/><br/> Both Khitan scripts continued to be used to some extent by the Jurchens for several decades after the fall of the Liao Dynasty in 1125 CE, until the Jurchens fully switched to a script of their own. Examples of the scripts appeared most often on epitaphs and monuments, although other fragments sometimes surface, such as on bronze mirrors.
Ngo was born in Hanoi in 1931. Her father was a successful businessman who owned the largest glass factory in French Indochina. She later stated that she grew eager to learn English because of her desire to watch her favorite films such as Gone with the Wind without subtitles. Her family provided her with private lessons in English. In 1955, when she was 25 years old, she joined the Voice of Vietnam radio station and was chosen to read the English language newscast aimed at listeners in Asia’s English-speaking countries.<br/><br/> During the Vietnam War, Ngo became notorious among US soldiers for her propaganda broadcasts on Radio Hanoi. Her scripts were written by the North Vietnamese Army and were intended to frighten and shame the soldiers into leaving their posts. She made three broadcasts a day, reading a list of newly killed or imprisoned Americans, and playing popular US anti-war songs in an effort to incite feelings of nostalgia and homesickness, attempting to persuade US GIs that the US involvement in the Vietnam War was unjust and immoral.<br/><br/> In 1975, after the war, Ngo moved to Saigon with her husband. She was offered a position on HCMC Television, but she chose to stay at home and take care of her husband, who had suffered a stroke. She died in Ho Chi Minh City on 30 September 2016 at the age of 87.
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories, regarded by critics as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Most of his works, such as Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle), are filled with the themes and archetypes of alienation, physical and psychological brutality, parent–child conflict, characters on a terrifying quest, labyrinths of bureaucracy, and mystical transformations.<br/><br/> Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In his lifetime, most of the population of Prague spoke Czech, and the division between Czech- and German-speaking people was a tangible reality, as both groups were strengthening their national identity. The Jewish community often found itself in between the two sentiments, naturally raising questions about a place to which one belongs. Kafka himself was fluent in both languages, considering German his mother tongue.
Toyohara Chikanobu, better known to his contemporaries as Yōshū Chikanobu, was a prolific woodblock artist of Japan's Meiji period. His works capture the transition from the age of the samurai to Meiji modernity.<br/><br/> In 1875 (Meiji 8), he decided to try to make a living as an artist. He travelled to Tokyo. He found work as an artist for the Kaishin Shimbun. In addition, he produced <i>nishiki-e</i> artworks. In his younger days, he had studied the Kanō school of painting; but his interest was drawn to <i>ukiyo-e</i>.<br/><br/> Like many <i>ukiyo-e</i> artists, Chikanobu turned his attention towards a great variety of subjects. His work ranged from Japanese mythology to depictions of the battlefields of his lifetime to women's fashions. As well as a number of the other artists of this period, he too portrayed kabuki actors in character, and is well-known for his impressions of the <i>mie</i> (formal pose) of kabuki productions.<br/><br/> Chikanobu was known as a master of <i>bijinga</i>, images of beautiful women, and for illustrating changes in women's fashion, including both traditional and Western clothing. His work illustrated the changes in coiffures and make-up across time. For example, in Chikanobu's images in Mirror of Ages (1897), the hair styles of the Tenmei era, 1781-1789 are distinguished from those of the Keio era, 1865-1867.
Ngo was born in Hanoi in 1931. Her father was a successful businessman who owned the largest glass factory in French Indochina. She later stated that she grew eager to learn English because of her desire to watch her favorite films such as Gone with the Wind without subtitles. Her family provided her with private lessons in English. In 1955, when she was 25 years old, she joined the Voice of Vietnam radio station and was chosen to read the English language newscast aimed at listeners in Asia’s English-speaking countries.<br/><br/> During the Vietnam War, Ngo became notorious among US soldiers for her propaganda broadcasts on Radio Hanoi. Her scripts were written by the North Vietnamese Army and were intended to frighten and shame the soldiers into leaving their posts. She made three broadcasts a day, reading a list of newly killed or imprisoned Americans, and playing popular US anti-war songs in an effort to incite feelings of nostalgia and homesickness, attempting to persuade US GIs that the US involvement in the Vietnam War was unjust and immoral.<br/><br/> In 1975, after the war, Ngo moved to Saigon with her husband. She was offered a position on HCMC Television, but she chose to stay at home and take care of her husband, who had suffered a stroke. She died in Ho Chi Minh City on 30 September 2016 at the age of 87.
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories, regarded by critics as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Most of his works, such as Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle), are filled with the themes and archetypes of alienation, physical and psychological brutality, parent–child conflict, characters on a terrifying quest, labyrinths of bureaucracy, and mystical transformations.<br/><br/> Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In his lifetime, most of the population of Prague spoke Czech, and the division between Czech- and German-speaking people was a tangible reality, as both groups were strengthening their national identity. The Jewish community often found itself in between the two sentiments, naturally raising questions about a place to which one belongs. Kafka himself was fluent in both languages, considering German his mother tongue.
Remarkable for their military prowess, their receptivity to Christianity, and their intricate all-embracing kinship network, the Kachins are a hardy mountain people living in the remote hills of northern Burma and on the peripheries of India and China.<br/><br/> 'Kachin' is actually a Burmese word that does not exist in any of the local dialects. Each Kachin tribe has a different name for themselves and their neighbours, but no word to describe the whole group. There are the Jinghpaw (known as Jingpo in China and Singpho in India), the Maru, the Lashi, the Atsi (or Szi), the Lisu and the Rawang—but those represent linguistic groups rather than actual nationalities. Far more important bonds are formed by an intricate system of clans, which cuts across tribal barriers.<br/><br/> Every 'Kachin' belongs to one of five original families: Marip, Maran, Lahpai, N'Hkum and Lattaw. These clans are related in an all-embracing kinship network of extreme complexity. In practice, however, this system binds together the Kachins into a remarkably tight-knit society.
In 1879, Ko K'un-hua (pinyin: Ge Kunhua), a scholar from China, was engaged to give a course in the Chinese language. The small collection of books that was bought for this course became Harvard College's first acquisitions in any East Asian language. The few existing photographs of Ko reveal a dignified middle-aged man in the long, high-necked, heavy garments of a scholar-official of the Qing dynasty. His embroidered robes would have been nearly unbearable in a Boston summer, but Ko did not experience many of those: a few months before the end of his three-year contract, he died of pneumonia. Harvard paid for his family’s return to China, and Edward Bangs Drew raised funds to educate his sons.
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories, regarded by critics as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Most of his works, such as Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle), are filled with the themes and archetypes of alienation, physical and psychological brutality, parent–child conflict, characters on a terrifying quest, labyrinths of bureaucracy, and mystical transformations.<br/><br/> Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In his lifetime, most of the population of Prague spoke Czech, and the division between Czech- and German-speaking people was a tangible reality, as both groups were strengthening their national identity. The Jewish community often found itself in between the two sentiments, naturally raising questions about a place to which one belongs. Kafka himself was fluent in both languages, considering German his mother tongue.
The kingdom of Champa (Campadesa or nagara Campa) Chăm Pa in Vietnamese, 占城 Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt and Zhàn chéng in Chinese records) was an Indianized kingdom that controlled much of southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.<br/><br/> Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Then began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor.<br/><br/> In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories. Mỹ Sơn, a former religious center, and Hội An, one of Champa's main port cities, are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The kingdom of Champa (Campadesa or nagara Campa) Chăm Pa in Vietnamese, 占城 Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt and Zhàn chéng in Chinese records) was an Indianized kingdom that controlled much of southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.<br/><br/> Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Then began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor.<br/><br/> In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories. Mỹ Sơn, a former religious center, and Hội An, one of Champa's main port cities, are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The kingdom of Champa (Campadesa or nagara Campa) Chăm Pa in Vietnamese, 占城 Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt and Zhàn chéng in Chinese records) was an Indianized kingdom that controlled much of southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.<br/><br/> Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Then began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor.<br/><br/> In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories. Mỹ Sơn, a former religious center, and Hội An, one of Champa's main port cities, are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The kingdom of Champa (Campadesa or nagara Campa) Chăm Pa in Vietnamese, 占城 Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt and Zhàn chéng in Chinese records) was an Indianized kingdom that controlled much of southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.<br/><br/> Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Then began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor.<br/><br/> In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories. Mỹ Sơn, a former religious center, and Hội An, one of Champa's main port cities, are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The kingdom of Champa (Campadesa or nagara Campa) Chăm Pa in Vietnamese, 占城 Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt and Zhàn chéng in Chinese records) was an Indianized kingdom that controlled much of southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.<br/><br/> Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Then began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor.<br/><br/> In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories. Mỹ Sơn, a former religious center, and Hội An, one of Champa's main port cities, are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The Javanese script, natively known as Hanacaraka), Carakan, or Aksara Jawa, is a pre-colonial script used to write Javanese and several other native languages of Indonesia. It is closely related to the Balinese script.
Lamphun was the capital of the small but culturally rich Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai from about 750 AD to the time of its conquest by King Mangrai (the founder of Chiang Mai) in 1281.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
Mahmud al-Kashgari was a renowned 11th century linguist, poet and historian who compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages.<br/><br/> Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Its name comes from the Sanskrit: upál-, which means 'a noble stone', sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek <i>opallios<i/> (ὀπάλλιος), from which the English word opal is derived.
The Valaikkara Stone Inscription is dated to 1100 CE and is thought to have been left by Tamil soldiers in Polonnaruwa.<br/><br/> Atadage, an ancient relic shrine was built by King Vijayabahu I (r. 1055 - 1110), and was once used to keep the Relic of the Tooth of the Buddha.<br/><br/> Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country under a national leader.
The Gal Pota (Stone Book) is a large stone measuring 9 metres by 1.5 metres by 60 centimetres covered with an inscription extolling the virtues of King Nissanka Malla (r. 1187 - 1196).<br/><br/> Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country under a national leader.
The Gal Pota (Stone Book) is a large stone measuring 9 metres by 1.5 metres by 60 centimetres covered with an inscription extolling the virtues of King Nissanka Malla (r. 1187 - 1196).<br/><br/> Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country under a national leader.
From 'Cermin mata bagi segala orang yang menuntut pengetahuan' (Spectacles for Those who Seek Knowledge).<br/><br/> Jawi is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. It developed in and around Malaya from about 1300 CE—about the same time as Islam arrived.<br/><br/> Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia for the Malay language. However, nowadays it has all but been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi; Jawi is usually only seen as a script for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Sulu in the Philippines, Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia.
From 'Cermin mata bagi segala orang yang menuntut pengetahuan' (Spectacles for Those who Seek Knowledge).<br/><br/> Jawi is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. It developed in and around Malaya from about 1300 CE—about the same time as Islam arrived.<br/><br/> Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia for the Malay language. However, nowadays it has all but been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi; Jawi is usually only seen as a script for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Sulu in the Philippines, Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia.
The Naxi or Nakhi are an ethnic group inhabiting the foothills of the Himalayas in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, as well as the southwestern part of Sichuan Province in China. The Naxi are thought to have come originally from Tibet and, until recently, maintained overland trading links with Lhasa and India. The Naxi form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. The Naxi are traditionally followers of the Dongba religion. Through both Han Chinese and Tibetan cultural influences, they adopted Tibetan Buddhism and, to a lesser extent, Taoism, in the 10th century.
From 'Cermin mata bagi segala orang yang menuntut pengetahuan' (Spectacles for Those who Seek Knowledge). Jawi is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. It developed in and around Malaya from about 1300 CE—about the same time as Islam arrived. Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia for the Malay language. However, nowadays it has all but been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi; Jawi is usually only seen as a script for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Sulu in the Philippines, Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia.
Northern Thai or Kham Mueang is the language of the Khon Muang people of northern Thailand and is closely related to Thai and Lao. Spoken by approximately six million people.
The Sogdian alphabet was originally used for the Sogdian language, a language in the Iranian family used by the people of Sogdiana.<br/><br/> The alphabet is derived from Syriac, the descendant script of the Aramaic alphabet. The Sogdian alphabet is one of three scripts used to write the Sogdian language, the others being the Manichaean alphabet and the Syriac alphabet.<br/><br/> It was used throughout Central Asia, from the edge of Iran in the west, to China in the east, from approximately 100-1200 CE
From 'Cermin mata bagi segala orang yang menuntut pengetahuan' (Spectacles for Those who Seek Knowledge). Jawi is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. It developed in and around Malaya from about 1300 CE—about the same time as Islam arrived. Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia for the Malay language. However, nowadays it has all but been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi; Jawi is usually only seen as a script for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Sulu in the Philippines, Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia.
From 'Cermin mata bagi segala orang yang menuntut pengetahuan' (Spectacles for Those who Seek Knowledge). Jawi is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. It developed in and around Malaya from about 1300 CE—about the same time as Islam arrived. Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia for the Malay language. However, nowadays it has all but been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi; Jawi is usually only seen as a script for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Sulu in the Philippines, Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia.
From 'Cermin mata bagi segala orang yang menuntut pengetahuan' (Spectacles for Those who Seek Knowledge).<br/><br/> Jawi is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. It developed in and around Malaya from about 1300 CE—about the same time as Islam arrived.<br/><br/> Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia for the Malay language. However, nowadays it has all but been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi; Jawi is usually only seen as a script for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Sulu in the Philippines, Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia.
From 'Cermin mata bagi segala orang yang menuntut pengetahuan' (Spectacles for Those who Seek Knowledge). Jawi is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. It developed in and around Malaya from about 1300 CE—about the same time as Islam arrived. Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia for the Malay language. However, nowadays it has all but been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi; Jawi is usually only seen as a script for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Sulu in the Philippines, Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia.
Wat Pa Pao is a Shan (Tai Yai) Buddhist temple that serves as a centre for Chiang Mai's Shan community. It was built in the late 19th century.
George Sale (1697, Canterbury, Kent, England–1736, London, England) was an Orientalist and practising solicitor, best known for his 1734 translation of the Qur'an into English.<br/><br/> Sale reputedly spent 25 years in Arabia, thus acquiring his knowledge of the Arabic language and customs.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
Taoism, or Daoism, refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions that have influenced the people of Eastern Asia for more than two millennia. They also notably influenced the Western world, particularly since the 19th century. The word Tao translates as 'path' or 'way'. It carries more abstract, spiritual meanings in folk religion and Chinese philosophy.<br/><br/> Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation and humility, while Taoist thought generally focuses on nature, the relationship between humanity and the cosmos; health and longevity; and ‘wu wei’ (action through inaction). Harmony with the universe is the intended result of many Taoist rules and practices.<br/><br/> Reverence for ancestor spirits and immortals is common in popular Taoism. Organized Taoism distinguishes its ritual activity from that of the folk religion, which some professional Taoists view as debased. Chinese alchemy (including Neidan), astrology, cuisine, Zen Buddhism, several Chinese martial arts, Chinese traditional medicine, feng shui, and many styles of qi gong have been intertwined with Taoism throughout history.
Wat Ton Kwen (วัด ต้น เกว๋น), more formally known as Wat Inthrawat (วัด อินทราวาส), means ‘Temple of Sugar Palms’ in kham muang or Northern Thai, and sure enough the rustic temple, set in a small village amid verdant rice paddies, is surrounded by tall and elegant sugar palms.<br/><br/> Built at the start of the reign of Chao Kawilorot (1856-70) in 1856, Wat Ton Kwen is among the finest and purest examples surviving of traditional 19th century wooden Lan Na temple architecture. No doubt because of its small size and relative isolation, it has been spared the ‘improvements’ and other indignities suffered not just by most of its contemporary structures, but also by much older Lan Na religious buildings.<br/><br/> The most distinctive features at Wat Ton Kwen are the typically Lan Na viharn or gabled assembly hall, and an unusual cruciform, four-porch mondop or open-sided pavilion.
Alexander de Rhodes was born in Avignon, France. He entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Rome on 24 April 1612 to dedicate his life to missionary work. He arrived in Indochina about 1619. A Jesuit mission had been established in Hanoi in 1615; Rhodes arrived there in 1620. He spent ten years in and around the Court at Hanoi during the rule of Trịnh Tùng and Trịnh Tráng.<br/><br/> While he was in Vietnam, he wrote the first Vietnamese Catechism and he published the first Portuguese-Latin-Vietnamese dictionary. This dictionary was later used widely by many Vietnamese scholars to create the new Vietnamese writing system, largely using the Roman alphabet - still used today and now called Quốc Ngữ (national language).
The ancient Sabaean Kingdom established power in the early 1st millennium BC. In the 1st century BC it was conquered by the Himyarites, but after the disintegration of the first Himyarite empire of the Kings of Saba' and Dhu-Raydan, the Middle Sabaean Kingdom reappeared in the early 2nd century. It was finally conquered by the Himyarites in the late 3rd century. Its capital was Ma'rib. The kingdom was located along the strip of desert called Sayhad by medieval Arab geographers, which is now named Ramlat al-Sab`atayn.<br/><br/> The Sabaean people were South Arabian people. Each of these had regional kingdoms in ancient Yemen, with the Minaeans in the north along the Red sea, the Sabeans on the south western tip, stretching from the highlands to the sea, the Qatabanians to the east of them and the Hadramites east of them.<br/><br/> The Sabaeans, like the other Yemenite kingdoms of the same period, were involved in the extremely lucrative spice trade, especially frankincense and myrrh. They left behind many inscriptions in the monumental Musnad (Old South Arabian) alphabet, as well as numerous documents in the cursive Zabur script.