Ghaznavid Empire
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Ghaznavid Empire
06 Int’l Handicraft Expo June 21, 2012 The International Exhibition on Silk Road Handicrafts will be held in Tabriz on June 21-25. Seven countries, apart from 31 provinces of Iran, will attend the event. Iranica Ghaznavid Empire Glide Over Land By Molana Hawk told the statue “over land I glide” Statue said, “I’m fine, enjoy your ride.” When I am glad, I can go to sleep But go for a walk when I’m sad and weep If in the bottom of a dark well dwell For handsome Joseph, at least, must fare well. Where beloved is, is ideal place Bottom of a well, or high up in space. Caspian Sea In deep dark ocean, the oyster will hurl All caution with joy, searching for pearl. When God sweeps away all your greed Return to your soul, the sole guide you need. In the divine light, a speck of dust Joyously dances, without need or lust. You too can choose to dance in light divine Delight the stars and deep earthly mine. Pride of Tabriz, king of the wise Joy in company and solitude arise. Iranian Recipe Fruit Soup Serves 6 Ingredients Pineapple, 200 grams Mixed dried fruit, 1 cup (apples cherries peaches and apricots) Water, 1 cup Cinnamon stick, 8 centimeters Garlic, 2 cloves Honey, 1 tablespoon Vanilla, 1/3 cup Low-fat yogurt (optional) Directions Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Cut up any large pieces of dried fruit. In a medium saucepan, stir together reserved pineapple juice, water, cinnamon and cloves. Bring to boil and add dried fruit; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit is tender. Remove cinnamon and whole cloves, if using. Stir in honey and pineapple tidbits. Serve warm or cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. To serve, spoon into individual serving dishes. Dollop each serving with some of the vanilla yogurt, if desired. Health Benefits of Fruits Fruits are nature’s wonderful medicines packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and many phytochemicals (plant-derived micronutrients). They are an absolute feast to our sight, not just because of their color and flavor but help body keep fit and healthy. Fruits are low in calories and fat, and are a source of simple sugars, fiber and vitamins, which are essential for optimizing our health. Fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps ward of cholesterol and fats from the body, and to get relief from constipation as well. Fruits contain many antioxidants like poly-phenolic flavonoids, vitamin-C and anthocyanins. These compounds, firstly, help body protect from oxidant stress, diseases and cancers. Secondly, they help body develop capacity to fight against these ailments by boosting our immunity level. Many fruits, when compared to vegetables and cereals, have very high antioxidant values that are measured by their “Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity” or ORAC. Anthocyanins are flavonoid category of polyphenolic compounds found in some “blue fruits” like blue-black grapes, mulberries, chokeberries, blueberries, blackberries and in many vegetables featuring blue or deep purple color. Eating fruits rich in blue pigments offers many health benefits. These compounds have potent antioxidant properties, remove free radicals from the body, and thus offer protection against cancers, aging, infections, etc. These pigments tend to concentrate just underneath the skin. Fruit’s health-benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients and antioxidants that help the body prevent or at least prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting and rejuvenating cells, tissues and organs in the human body. The overall benefits are manifold. To avail of maximum fruit nutrition, eat organic produce. Many wild varieties of berries and “tropical tree” fruits are still not treated with any kind of fertilizers or chemicals, and can be readily purchased from local farm owners. Organic fruits tend to be smaller, however, and feature special flavor and richness in vitamins, minerals and stuffed with numerous antioxidants. In the store, however, choose fruits that feature freshness, bright in color and flavor and feel heavy in your hands. Look carefully for blemishes, spots, molds and signs of insecticide spray. Buy whole fruits instead of section of them (for example, buy a small watermelon instead of a section of big melon). Persian Gulf Oman Sea T he Ghaznavids were a Persian Muslim dynasty of Turkic slave-soldiers, which existed from 975 to 1187 and ruled much of Persia, Transoxania and the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. The dynasty was founded by Sebuktigin upon his succession to rule over territories centered around the city of Ghazni from his father-in-law, Alp Tigin, a breakaway ex-general of the Samanid rulers. Sebuktigin’s son, Shah Mahmoud, expanded the empire in the region that stretched from Oxus River to the Indus Valley and the Indian Ocean; and in the west it reached Rey and Hamedan, Iranchamber.com wrote. Under the reign of Mas’ud I, the dynasty experienced major territorial losses, losing the western territories to the Seljuks at the Battle of Dandanaqan resulting in a restriction of its holdings to Balouchistan, Western Punjab and modern-day Afghanistan. In 1151, Sultan Bahram Shah lost Ghazni to Alauddin Hussein of Ghor and the capital was moved to Lahore until its subsequent capture by the Ghurids in 1186. Rise to Power Two military families arose from the Turkic slaveguards of the Samanids--the Simjurids and Ghaznavids-who ultimately proved disastrous to the Samanids. The Simjurids received an appanage in the Qohestan region of eastern Khorasan. Alp Tigin founded the Ghaznavid fortunes when he established himself at Ghazna (modern Ghazni) in 962. He and Abolhassan Simjuri, as Samanid generals competed for the governorship of Khorasan and control of the Samanid Empire by placing on the throne emirs they could dominate when Abdul Malek I died in 961. But when the emir did die in 961 CE, it created a succession crisis between Abdul Malek I’s brothers. A court party instigated by men of the scribal class--ci- vilian ministers as contrasted with Turkic generals--rejected Alp Tigin’s candidate for the Samanid throne. Mansur I was installed and Alp Tigin prudently retired to his fief of Ghazna. The Simjurids enjoyed control of Khorasan south of the Oxus but were hard-pressed by a third great Iranian dynasty, the Bu’ayhids, and were unable to survive the collapse of the Samanids and the rise of the Ghaznavids. Domination of Mahmud ibn Sebuktigin In 997, Mahmud, the son of Sebuktigin, succeeded his father upon his death (before he ascended the throne, he had to challenge his younger brother Ismail, who was announced as the heir by his father Sebuktigin), and with him Ghazni and the Ghaznavid Dynasty have become perpetually associated. He completed the conquest of Samanid, Shahi lands, the Ismaili kingdom of Multan, Sindh, as well as some Bu’ayhid territory. Under him all accounts was the golden age and the height of the Ghaznavid Empire. Mahmud carried out 17 expeditions through northern India establishing his control and setting up tributary states. His raids also resulted in the looting of a great deal of plunder. From the borders of Kordestan to Samarkand, from the Caspian Sea to the Yamuna, he established his authority. During Mahmud’s reign (c.1025), the Ghaznavids settled 4,000 Turkmen families near Farana in Khorasan. By 1027, due to the Turkmen raiding neighboring settlements, the governor of Tus, Abul Alarith Arslan Jadhib led military strikes against them. The Turkmen were defeated and scattered to neighboring lands. The wealth brought back from the Indian expeditions to Ghazni was enormous and contemporary historians (Abolfazl Beyhaqi, Ferdowsi) give glowing descriptions of the magnificence of the capital, as well as of the Gonbad-e Qabous on Global List Iranica Desk Gonbad-e Qabous (Tower of Qabous) in Gorgan, Golestan province, which is the world’s tallest brick building, will be registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in summer. Announcing this, Qorban Abbasi, the head of Golestan Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department, said UNESCO’s general meeting has been planned to be held in Moscow, Russia, in summer, in which a number of the world’s significant heritage sites will be registered. He said Gonbad-e Qabous is considered one of the most precious sites in the world. “Gonbad-e Qabous is one of the rarest Islamic architectural masterpieces in Iran,” he said, noting that a ceremony will be held in the province to celebrate the global registration of the site as well. Abbasi said the dossier of Gonbad-e Qabous was submitted to UNESCO about 12 years ago. “UNESCO’s experts obliged Iran to take some preservation measures in the site,” he said, adding that last year experts from ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) visited Gonbad-e Qabous again. Abbasi noted that all the measures have been taken in the recent years to boost the condition of the site. “Construction works in the perimeters of the site have been halted,” he said. The official said the registration of the site on the global list of UNESCO will help attract more tourists to the province and boost econom- ic growth. The tower is located in the center of the city named Qabous. It reaches 72 meters and is still the tallest pure-brick tower in the world. The baked-brick tower is an enormous decagonal building with a conic roof, which forms the golden ratio that Phi equals 1.618. Its interiors contain the earliest examples of Muqarnas decorative styles. The decagon with its 3-meter-thick wall, divided into 10 sides, has a diameter of 17 meters. The tower was built on such a scientific and architectural design that at the front of the tower, at an external circle, one can hear one’s echo. The tower was built in 1006 AD on the orders of the Ziyarid Amir Shams-ol-Ma’ali Qabous ibn Wushmgir. Robert Byron, the British travel writer and architectural critic, wrote that it was a photograph of the tower that motivated him to visit Persia. Seeing the tower, he maintained his high opinion of its qualities, writing in The Road to Oxiana, that “Gombad-e Qamboos ranks with the great buildings of the world”. conquerors munificent support of literature. Mahmud died in (1030). Even though there was some revival of importance under Ibrahim (1059-99), the empire never reached anything like the same splendor and power. Military Tactics Like the other dynasties that rose out of the remains of the Abbasid Caliphate, the Ghaznavid administrative traditions and military practice came from the Abbasids. There were, however, unique changes adopted that met the demands of the geographic situation of the Ghaznavid dynasty. Due to their access to the Indus-Ganges plains, the Ghaznavids, during the 11th and 12th centuries, developed the first Muslim army to use war elephants in battle. The elephants were protected by armor plating on their fronts. The use of these elephants in other regions that the Ghaznavids fought in, particularly in Central Asia, to which the elephant was a foreign weapon. Legacy The Ghaznavid Empire grew to cover much of presentday Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India, and the Ghaznavids are generally credited with spreading Islam into the Indian subcontinent. In addition to the wealth accumulated by raiding Indian cities and exacting tribute from Indian Rajas the Ghaznavids also benefited from their position as an intermediary along the trade routes between China and the Mediterranean. They were, however, unable to hold power for long and by 1040, the Seljuks had taken over their Persian domains and a century later the Ghurids took over their remaining sub-continental lands. Sudoku No. 163 Sudoku was inspired by the table devised by Iranian mathematician Al-Kharazmi. Fill 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid, contains all of the digits from 1 to 9.