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Dhul-Qarnayn or Zulqarnayn, 'He of the Two Horns', appears in Surah 18 verses 83-101 of the Qur'an as a figure empowered by Allah to erect a wall between mankind and Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog), the representation of chaos.<br/><br/> In the Islamic apocalyptic tradition the end of the world would be preceded by the release of Gog and Magog from behind the wall, and their destruction by God in a single night would usher in the Day of Resurrection. In traditional scholarship the character is usually identified as Alexander the Great, who is ascribed similar adventures in the Alexander romance.
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate or Il Khanate was a Mongol khanate established in Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanate was based, originally, on Genghis Khan's campaigns in the Khwarezmid Empire in 1219–1224, and founded by Genghis's grandson, Hulagu, in territories which today comprise most of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and some regions of western Pakistan. The Ilkhanate initially embraced many religions, but was initially sympathetic to Buddhism and Nestorian Christianity. Later Ilkhanate rulers, beginning with Ghazan in 1295, embraced Islam.<br/><br/> The Catalan Atlas (1375) is the most important Catalan map of the medieval period. It was produced by the Majorcan cartographic school and is attributed to Cresques Abraham, a Jewish book illuminator who was self-described as being a master of the maps of the world as well as compasses.It has been in the royal library of France (now the Bibliothèque nationale de France) since the late 14th century.
The Khanate of Khiva was a Central Asian state that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Persian occupation by Nadir Shah in 1740–46. Centered in the irrigated plains of the lower Amu Darya, south of the Aral Sea, with the capital in Khiva City, the country was ruled by the Kungrads, a branch of the Astrakhans, themselves a Genghisid dynasty. In 1873, the Khanate became a Russian protectorate. In 1924, the area was formally incorporated into the Soviet Union and today is largely a part of Karakalpakstan and Xorazm Province in Uzbekistan.
Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (3 March 1842 – 17 January 1885) was an English traveller and soldier.<br/><br/> He entered the Royal Horse Guards in 1859. Finding no chance for active service, his spirit of adventure sought outlets in balloon-ascents and in travels through Spain and Russia. In the summer of 1874 he accompanied the Carlist forces as correspondent of The Times, but before the end of the war he was transferred to Africa to report on Gordon's expedition to the Sudan.<br/><br/> This took Burnaby as far as Khartoum. Returning to England in March 1875, he matured his plans for a journey on horseback to the Khanate of Khiva through Russian Asia, which had just been closed to travellers. His accomplishment of this task, in the winter of 1875-1876, described in his book 'A Ride to Khiva', brought him immediate fame.<br/><br/> His next leave of absence was spent in another adventurous journey on horseback, through Asia Minor, from Scutari to Erzerum, with the object of observing the Russian frontier, an account of which he afterwards published.<br/><br/> Having been disappointed in his hope of seeing active service in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, he participated in the Suakin campaign of 1884 without official leave, and was wounded at El Teb when acting as an intelligence officer under General Valentine Baker. This did not deter him from a similar course when a fresh expedition started up the Nile. He was given a post by Lord Wolseley, and met his death in the hand-to-hand fighting of the Battle of Abu Klea.
Islam Khoja was the chief adviser and prime minister of Khan Muhammad Rahim. He introduced various reforms including establishing a secular school, hospital, pharmacy, post office and cotton factory.