Baha'ism is a religion founded in Iran by Baha'ullah with about five million adherents throughout the world. Following the suppression of the millenarian Babi movement Babism in Iran and the execution of its leader, the Bab, in 1850, Baha'ullah declared himself in 1863 to be the new prophet heralded by the Bab. Baha'ullah acknowledged the revelations of earlier prophets such as Jesus and Muhammad, but held that the single identity of God must be re-taught by new prophecy to each generation.
Baha'is believe in the spiritual progression of the world to unity and their ideal is an international community with one language. Baha'i temples are open to the faithful of all creeds. A Universal House of Justice administers the religion, with its centres in Haifa and Akko (Acre) in Israel. There is no clergy or ritual; spiritual practice includes daily private prayer and an annual period of fasting, which ends with the festival of Now Ruz, the Persian New Year at the spring equinox. Baha'is stress the equality of women and the importance of monogamous family life.
Although Baha'is regard the Koran and Muhammad with reverence, to Muslims the Baha'is are heretics who have displaced the Koran from its position as the final and most important revelation; this has led to persecution in Iran since the religion's inception, with renewed force since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Furthermore, the location of the Baha'is world centre in Israel has led to an association of Baha'is with that country and made the Baha'is a target of anti-Semitic sentiment. Research Baha'ism
A cento is a poem formed out of verses taken from one or more poets, so arranged as to form a distinct poem. CENTO (Central Treaty Organisation) was a defensive union of the 1950s to 1970s comprising the member states of the USA, UK, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey with the aim of meeting a Communist attack on one of the member states. Iraq withdrew in 1958 and Pakistan in 1972 before the organisation was dissolved. Research Cento
The ISO (International Standards Organisation) assigns a two character code to each country name. These codes are used by Internet 'whois' databases (these two character abbreviations are the whois country codes) and also other applications.
A Fohn wind is a warm, dry wind blowing down the sides of mountains facing away from the prevailing wind. It is best known in the valleys of the northern Alps. Other fohn winds are the Chinook (the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, Canada and the USA); the Nor'Wester (New Zealand) and the Samoon (Iran). Research Fohn Wind
The Arabi is a breed of sheep found in south-western Iran, southern Iraq and north-eastern Arabia, the Arabi is a meat breed of the Near Easter Fat- Tailed type. The wool is of carpet quality. The breed is usually black, pied, or white with a black head. The males are horned and the females are hornless (polled). The Arabi is the foundation breed of the Wooed Persian of South Africa. Research Arabi
The Baluchi (Baluchi dumda, Mengali, Taraki, Shinwari, Araghi, Farahani, Kermani, Khorasani, Khurasani, Naeini, Neini, Yazdi) is a breed of sheep that originated in the area which is now south-west Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. They are a fat-tailed meat breed with a carpet grade wool. They are white with black marks on the head and legs. Rams can be either horned or polled and ewes are polled. Research Baluchi
The cashmere is a small domesticated goat with large ears and small horns kept for its wool, milk and meat in mountainous areas of China, Iran and Kashmir, and also extensively farmed in the USA and other developed countries primarily for its wool. The Cashmere goat is remarkable for its fine downy fleece, said to be found in perfection only in Tibet in the neighbourhood of Lhassa, but also found in other parts of this region, including Ladakh, now a province of Cashmere. The colder the region where the goat pastures, the heavier is its fleece. A full-grown goat yields not more than eight ounces, the fine curled wool being close to the skin. A large shawl of the finest quality requires 5 lbs of the wool; one of the inferior quality from 3 to 4 lbs. Research Cashmere More information about Cashmere
Ferula is a genus of umbelliferous plants, whose species often yield a powerful stimulating gumresin, employed in medicine. The species are natives of the shores of the Mediterranean and Iran, and are characterized by tall-growing pithy stems, and deeply-divided leaves, the segments of which are frequently linear. Ferula communis of English gardens is called giantfennel. Ferula orientalis and Ferula tingitana are said to yield African ammoniacum, a gumresin like asafetida, but less powerful. Research Ferula
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