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It is believed that the secrets of Chinese paper making were passed on to the Abbasids after their victory over Chinese forces at the Battle of Talas in 751 CE.<br/><br/> The art of paper-making was refined and transformed into mass production by the mills of Baghdad. Some of the techniques employed in Baghdad included the use of linen as a substitute for the bark of the mulberry which the Chinese used. This involved a more refined and improved method of production.<br/><br/> This development facilitated the building of many paper mills in Baghdad from where the industry spread to Damascus which became the major source of supply of paper to Europe.<br/><br/> After the industry developed in Iraq, Syria and Palestine, it spread west. The first paper mill in Africa was built in Egypt around 850; then a paper mill was built in Morocco from where the skill reached Spain in 950. In 1293 the first paper mill in Bologna was set up. The first use of paper in England did not come until 1309, then Germany in the late stages of the 14th century.
Maitreya (Sanskrit), Metteyya (Pāli), Maithree (Sinhala), or Jampa (Tibetan) is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Śakyamuni Buddha.<br/><br/> The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya references a time when the Dharma will have been forgotten on Jambudvipa. It is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an event that will take place when the Dharma will have been forgotten on Earth.
From 1861 to 1890 the Munich publishing firm of Braun and Schneider published plates of historic and contemporary costume in their magazine Munchener Bilderbogen.<br/><br/> These plates were eventually collected in book form and published at the turn of the century in Germany and England.
From 1861 to 1890 the Munich publishing firm of Braun and Schneider published plates of historic and contemporary costume in their magazine Munchener Bilderbogen.<br/><br/> These plates were eventually collected in book form and published at the turn of the century in Germany and England.
Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from ancient India who founded Buddhism. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha (P. sammāsambuddha, S. samyaksaṃbuddha) of our age, 'Buddha' meaning 'awakened one' or 'enlightened one'.<br/><br/> The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c. 563 BCE to 483 BCE, but more recent opinion dates his death to between 486 and 483 BCE or, according to some, between 411 and 400 BCE. By tradition, Gautama is said to have been born in the small state of Kapilavastu, in what is now Nepal, and later to have taught primarily throughout regions of eastern India such as Magadha and Kośala.<br/><br/> Gautama, also known as Śākyamuni ('Sage of the Śākyas'), is the primary figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition, and first committed to writing about 400 years later.<br/><br/> He is also regarded as a god or prophet in other world religions or denominations, including Hinduism, Ahmadiyya Islam, and the Bahá'í faith.