Khmer language, Mon-Khmer language spoken by most of the population of Cambodia, where it is the official language, and by some 1.3 million people in southeastern Thailand, and also by more than a million people in southern Vietnam. The language has been written since the early 7th century using a

Khmer literature, body of literary works of Khmer peoples of Southeast Asia, mainly Cambodia. The classical literature of Cambodia comprises works composed in verse and recorded between the 16th and mid-19th century; much of it reflects the cultural influence of India. It can be classified

Cambodia: Tensions between the CPP and the opposition: …Funcinpec—as well as with the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), another opposition party that had won nearly as many seats as Funcinpec in the elections—dragged into 2004, however, and were resolved only by midyear. In October 2004 Sihanouk resigned as king, and his youngest son, Norodom Sihamoni, succeeded him. Sihanouk continued…

Cambodia: Vietnamese intervention: …National Liberation Front (renamed the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party in 1992) under the leadership of Son Sann (a former prime minister). Those groups were supported financially by foreign powers, including the United States, who were eager to oppose Vietnam. Thousands of Cambodians continued to enter Thailand in the 1980s, and…

Cambodia, country on the Indochinese mainland of Southeast Asia. Cambodia is largely a land of plains and great rivers and lies amid important overland and river trade routes linking China to India and Southeast Asia. The influences of many Asian cultures, alongside those of France and the United

Khmer Rouge, radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 after winning power through a guerrilla war. It was purportedly set up in 1967 as the armed wing of the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Cambodia’s communist movement originated in the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party,

Khmer Rouge: …of Cambodia (commonly called the Khmer Rouge Tribunal) was established in 2006 as a joint operation between the United Nations and the government of Cambodia. The first indictments were handed down in 2007, and the first trial—against Kaing Guek Eav (better known as Duch), the former commander of a notorious…

Cambodia: World War II and its aftermath: …formed a dissident movement, the Khmer Serei (“Free Khmer”), that opposed both Sihanouk and the French.

Khmer empire, ancient Cambodian state that ruled vast areas of mainland Southeast Asia from about 802 ce to 1431, reaching its peak between the 11th and 13th centuries. Also known as the kingdom of Angkor, it was the successor state of the earlier kingdoms of Funan and Chenla, and it shaped much of

Khmer Rouge, radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 after winning power through a guerrilla war. It was purportedly set up in 1967 as the armed wing of the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Cambodia’s communist movement originated in the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party,

Khmuic languages: Khmu is the most prominent of the languages, having more than 500,000 speakers, most of whom are spread across northern Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. Smaller numbers live in Myanmar (Burma) and in Western countries. Other Khmuic languages include Khang, Phong (also called Kaniang, Piat,…

Khmuic languages, group of Mon-Khmer languages (Austroasiatic stock) spoken primarily in Laos in areas scattered around Louangphrabang and extending into parts of Thailand and northern Vietnam. Khmu is the most prominent of the languages, having more than 500,000 speakers, most of whom are spread

Hermopolis Magna, ancient town of Upper Egypt, located on the Nile River south of Al-Minyā in Al-Minyā muḥāfaẓah (governorate). It was known as Khmunu (“City of the Eight”) and was the capital of the Hare nome (province), the 15th nome of Upper Egypt. The great deity worshiped there was Thoth, god

Khnum, ancient Egyptian god of fertility, associated with water and with procreation. Khnum was worshipped from the 1st dynasty (c. 2925–2775 bce) into the early centuries ce. He was represented as a ram with horizontal twisting horns or as a man with a ram’s head. Khnum was believed to have

Fernand Khnopff was a Belgian painter, draftsman, photographer, sculptor, and writer associated with Symbolism and known best for his paintings that blend precise realism with an ethereal dreamlike atmosphere. Khnopff came from an affluent family and was one of three siblings. When he was a child,

Fernand Khnopff was a Belgian painter, draftsman, photographer, sculptor, and writer associated with Symbolism and known best for his paintings that blend precise realism with an ethereal dreamlike atmosphere. Khnopff came from an affluent family and was one of three siblings. When he was a child,

Khnum, ancient Egyptian god of fertility, associated with water and with procreation. Khnum was worshipped from the 1st dynasty (c. 2925–2775 bce) into the early centuries ce. He was represented as a ram with horizontal twisting horns or as a man with a ram’s head. Khnum was believed to have

kho-kho, traditional Indian sport, a form of tag, that is one of the oldest forms of outdoor sport, dating back to prehistoric India. The kho-kho playing field—which can be placed on any suitable indoor or outdoor surface—is a rectangle 29 metres (32 yards) long and 16 metres (17 yards) wide with a

Khobar, oasis and port city, Al-Sharqiyyah minṭaqah (province) and region, eastern Saudi Arabia, situated on the Persian Gulf south of Dammam. The city is a commercial and industrial centre lying in a valley on the main road to Jordan. Khobar has good water wells and fertile soil, producing an

Khobar Towers bombing of 1996, terrorist attack on a U.S. Air Force housing complex in the town of Khobar, near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 1996. The bombers drove a tanker truck packed with 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) of explosives near the complex and then jumped into waiting vehicles,

Hovd, town, administrative headquarters of Hovd aymag (province), western Mongolia, in the northern foothills of the Mongol Altayn Nuruu (Mongolian Altai Mountains) at an elevation of 4,260 ft (1,300 m). Har Us Nuur (lake) lies to the east and is fed by the Hovd Gol (river). Founded in 1731 as a

Vladimir Nabokov: Later works and influence of Vladimir Nabokov: …detractors—although his best Russian critic, Vladislav Khodasevich, insisted that Nabokov’s aristocratic view was appropriate to his subject matters: problems of art masked by allegory.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a Russian oil tycoon and, at one time, was the richest man in Russia. He was imprisoned in 2003 on charges of fraud and tax evasion. One of Russia’s famed “oligarchs,” he was convicted of those crimes and others before being released in 2013. Khodorkovsky, the son of a

Khujand, city, northwestern Tajikistan. The city lies along both banks of the Syr Darya (river) at the entrance to the fertile and heavily populated Fergana Valley. One of the most ancient cities of Central Asia, it lay along the great Silk Road from China to Europe. It was captured by the Arabs in

Khoekhoe, any member of a people of Southern Africa whom the first European explorers found in areas of the hinterland and who now generally live either in European settlements or on official reserves in South Africa or Namibia. Khoekhoe (meaning “men of men”) is their name for themselves;

Khoisan languages: Classification of the Khoisan languages: …three effectively unrelated groups: Northern, Central, and Southern. Sandawe of Tanzania has a distant relationship to the Central group, but the place of Hadza even in relation to Sandawe has always been unclear; and the status of Kwadi, an extinct language of Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in southwestern Angola, remains uncertain.…

Abolqasem al-Khoei was an Iranian-born cleric who, as a grand ayatollah based in the holy city of Al-Najaf, Iraq, was the spiritual leader of millions of Shīʿite Muslims. Khoei studied Persian poetry and religion as a child. At age 13 he was sent to study Islamic law (Sharīʿah) at Al-Najaf, where

Khoekhoe, any member of a people of Southern Africa whom the first European explorers found in areas of the hinterland and who now generally live either in European settlements or on official reserves in South Africa or Namibia. Khoekhoe (meaning “men of men”) is their name for themselves;

Khoekhoe languages, a subgroup of the Khoe language family, one of three branches of the Southern African Khoisan languages. Two main varieties have been distinguished: the first includes the extinct South African languages !Ora and Gri (click here for an audio clip of !Ora) and the dialects that

Khoekhoe languages: …coast; the second type is Nama, also known as Nama/Damara and Khoekhoegowap, with about 120,000 speakers mostly in Namibia (click here for an audio clip of Nama). A few Nama speakers are found in Botswana, and there is another small pocket in the Richtersveld in South Africa. The abandoned term…

Khujand, city, northwestern Tajikistan. The city lies along both banks of the Syr Darya (river) at the entrance to the fertile and heavily populated Fergana Valley. One of the most ancient cities of Central Asia, it lay along the great Silk Road from China to Europe. It was captured by the Arabs in

Khoy, city, northwestern Iran. The city is well laid out, with cool streams and lines of willows along broad, regular streets. There are several mosques, an extensive brick bazaar, a fine caravansary, and gardens. Khoy is a trade centre and has been of considerable strategic importance. Fortified

Khoisan languages: Classification of the Khoisan languages: …three effectively unrelated groups: Northern, Central, and Southern. Sandawe of Tanzania has a distant relationship to the Central group, but the place of Hadza even in relation to Sandawe has always been unclear; and the status of Kwadi, an extinct language of Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in southwestern Angola, remains uncertain.…

Khoekhoe, any member of a people of Southern Africa whom the first European explorers found in areas of the hinterland and who now generally live either in European settlements or on official reserves in South Africa or Namibia. Khoekhoe (meaning “men of men”) is their name for themselves;

Khoekhoe languages, a subgroup of the Khoe language family, one of three branches of the Southern African Khoisan languages. Two main varieties have been distinguished: the first includes the extinct South African languages !Ora and Gri (click here for an audio clip of !Ora) and the dialects that

Southern Africa: The Khoisan: In the long run these new groups of herders and farmers transformed the hunter-gatherer way of life. Initially, however, distinctions between early pastoralists, farmers, and hunter-gatherers were not overwhelming, and in many areas the various groups coexisted. The first evidence of pastoralism in the…

Khoisan languages, a unique group of African languages spoken mainly in southern Africa, with two outlying languages found in eastern Africa. The term is a compound adapted from the words khoekhoe ‘person’ and saan ‘bush dweller’ in Nama, one of the Khoisan languages, and scholars have applied the

Khoja, caste of Indian Muslims converted from Hinduism to Islam in the 14th century by the Persian pīr (religious leader or teacher) Saḍr-al-Dīn and adopted as members of the Nizārī Ismāʿīliyyah sect of the Shīʿites. Forced to feign either Hinduism, Sunni Islam, or Ithnā ʿAshariyyah in order to

Khujand, city, northwestern Tajikistan. The city lies along both banks of the Syr Darya (river) at the entrance to the fertile and heavily populated Fergana Valley. One of the most ancient cities of Central Asia, it lay along the great Silk Road from China to Europe. It was captured by the Arabs in

Isthmus of Kra, narrow neck of southern Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand, connecting the Malay Peninsula to the Asian mainland. The isthmus lies between the Gulf of Thailand to the east and the Andaman Sea to the west. It is 25–30 miles (40–48 km) wide at its narrowest point, between Chumphon and Kra

Kholmogory, village, port, and administrative centre of Kholmogory rayon (sector), Arkhangelsk oblast (region), northwestern European Russia. It lies along the Northern Dvina River, 47 miles (75 km) southeast of the city of Arkhangelsk. The village has existed since 1355, when it served traders as

Leo Tolstoy: First publications of Leo Tolstoy: “Kholstomer” (written 1863; revised and published 1886; “Kholstomer: The Story of a Horse”) has become famous for its dramatic use of a favourite Tolstoyan device, “defamiliarization”—that is, the description of familiar social practices from the “naive” perspective of an observer who does not take them…

Leo Tolstoy: First publications of Leo Tolstoy: “Kholstomer” (written 1863; revised and published 1886; “Kholstomer: The Story of a Horse”) has become famous for its dramatic use of a favourite Tolstoyan device, “defamiliarization”—that is, the description of familiar social practices from the “naive” perspective of an observer who does not take them…

Khoisan languages: Classification of the Khoisan languages: …the !Kwi dialects, only ǂKhomani is still spoken, by a few individuals in Northern Cape province (click here for an audio clip of the ǂKhomani language). ǂΗuã, a language of southeastern Botswana with fewer than 100 speakers, shares features with both the Southern and the Ju groups. In East…

Ruhollah Khomeini was an Iranian Shiʿi cleric who led the revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1979 (see Iranian Revolution) and who was Iran’s ultimate political and religious authority for the next 10 years. Khomeini was the grandson and son of mullahs (Shiʿi religious

Ruhollah Khomeini was an Iranian Shiʿi cleric who led the revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1979 (see Iranian Revolution) and who was Iran’s ultimate political and religious authority for the next 10 years. Khomeini was the grandson and son of mullahs (Shiʿi religious

Ruhollah Khomeini was an Iranian Shiʿi cleric who led the revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1979 (see Iranian Revolution) and who was Iran’s ultimate political and religious authority for the next 10 years. Khomeini was the grandson and son of mullahs (Shiʿi religious

Al-Khums, town, northwestern Libya. It is located on the Mediterranean coast about 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Tripoli. The town was founded by the Turks and gained importance after 1870 by exporting esparto grass (used for cordage, shoes, and paper). Modern economic activities in Al-Khums

Sakha: Playing of the khomus, or mouth harp, once an accompaniment to shamanic ritual, has also experienced a resurgence.

Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov was a Russian poet and founder of the 19th-century Slavophile movement that extolled the superiority of the Russian way of life. He was also an influential lay theologian of the Russian Orthodox church. Khomyakov came from a family that had for many generations served

Southeast Asian arts: The relation of music to dance and theatre: …the Thai masked play, or khon, dancers, chorus, soloists, and orchestra are all coordinated. The musicians know the movements of classical dance and coordinate musical phrases with dance patterns, turns, and movements. In the shadow play, or nang sbek, the dancer, who manipulates a leather puppet, must keep his foot…

Khon Kaen, town, northeastern Thailand, on the Khorat Plateau. It is a rice-trading centre on the railway between Nakhon Ratchasima and Udon Thani. Khon Kaen University was founded in 1965; the Rajamangala Institute of Technology, Khon Kaen Campus (1963) is also there. Khon Kaen lies in a region

Lao literature: Modern Lao literature: …of his short stories, “Khon yang lung Dam” (1995; “A Man Like Uncle Dam”), is a critical comparison of the values of Lao communist society and traditional Lao religious principles. It describes the plight of a civil servant who is in immediate need of a blood transfusion. Members of…

Khond, people of the hills and jungles of Orissa state, India. Their numbers are estimated to exceed 800,000, of which about 550,000 speak Kui and its southern dialect, Kuwi, of the Dravidian language family. Most Khond are now rice cultivators, but there are still groups, such as the Kuttia Khond,

Ghiyāth al-Dīn Muḥammad Khwāndamīr was a Persian historian, considered one of the greatest historians of the Timurid period. Grandson of the Persian historian Mirkhwānd, Khwāndamīr entered the service of Badīʿ al-Zamān, the eldest son of the Timurid ruler of Herāt, Ḥusayn Bāyqarā. Khwāndamīr was an

Khone Falls, series of cataracts on the Mekong River, extreme southern Laos, on the Cambodian border. The falls are the principal impediment to navigation of the river and have impeded economic use of the Mekong by the peoples of the Cambodian plain to the south and those of Laos to the north; a

Salween River, major stream of Southeast Asia and the longest in Myanmar (Burma). Rising in the T’ang-ku-la Mountains, a range of eastern Tibet, the river flows generally south for about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through Yunnan province, China, and eastern Myanmar, emptying into the Gulf of Martaban

Khonsu, in ancient Egyptian religion, moon god who was generally depicted as a youth. A deity with astronomical associations named Khenzu is known from the Pyramid Texts (c. 2350 bce) and is possibly the same as Khonsu. In Egyptian mythology, Khonsu was regarded as the son of the god Amon and the

Khonsu, in ancient Egyptian religion, moon god who was generally depicted as a youth. A deity with astronomical associations named Khenzu is known from the Pyramid Texts (c. 2350 bce) and is possibly the same as Khonsu. In Egyptian mythology, Khonsu was regarded as the son of the god Amon and the

throat-singing, a range of singing styles in which a single vocalist sounds more than one pitch simultaneously by reinforcing certain harmonics (overtones and undertones) of the fundamental pitch. In some styles, harmonic melodies are sounded above a fundamental vocal drone. Originally called

throat-singing, a range of singing styles in which a single vocalist sounds more than one pitch simultaneously by reinforcing certain harmonics (overtones and undertones) of the fundamental pitch. In some styles, harmonic melodies are sounded above a fundamental vocal drone. Originally called

Khepri, in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, the god of the morning sun, representing its transformational power. Khepri was depicted in the form of a scarab beetle, specifically the Egyptian dung beetle (Scarabaeus sacer), or in the form of a human with the head of a scarab beetle. As the

Ivan Turgenev: Sketches of rural life: … (“The Contemporary”) a short study, “Khor and Kalinych,” of two peasants whom he had met on a hunting trip in the Oryol region. It was published with the subtitle “From a Hunter’s Sketches,” and it had an instantaneous success. From it was to grow the short-story cycle A Sportsman’s Sketches,…

Khor Fakkan, exclave and port town located in Sharjah emirate, United Arab Emirates. It is on the east coast of the Musandam Peninsula, facing the Gulf of Oman; the port and its hinterland divide the emirate of Fujairah into its two major portions. Situated on a natural cove (Arabic: khawr), Khor

prayer wheel, in Tibetan Buddhism, a mechanical device the use of which is equivalent to the recitation of a mantra (sacred syllable or verse). The prayer wheel consists of a hollow metal cylinder, often beautifully embossed, mounted on a rod handle and containing a tightly wound scroll printed

Har Gobind Khorana was an Indian-born American biochemist who shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley for research that helped to show how the nucleotides in nucleic acids, which carry the genetic code of the cell, control the cell’s

Khorāsān, historical region and realm comprising a vast territory now lying in northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, and northern Afghanistan. The historical region extended, along the north, from the Amu Darya (Oxus River) westward to the Caspian Sea and, along the south, from the fringes of

Khorāsān carpet, handwoven floor covering made in the region of Khorāsān, in northeastern Iran. Herāt carpets are the classic carpets of the district. From the late 18th and early 19th centuries there are carpets in the herāti pattern, probably made in villages of the district. They show a repeat

Nakhon Ratchasima, city, northeastern Thailand, in the southwestern portion of the Khorat Plateau. Nakhon Ratchasima is the largest city and is the transportation, commercial, financial, and governmental centre of northeastern Thailand. A major railway connects the city to Bangkok, and the city is

Khorat Plateau, saucer-shaped tableland of northeastern Thailand. It occupies 60,000 square miles (155,000 square km), is situated 300–650 feet (90–200 m) above sea level, and tilts southeastward. The plateau is drained by the Chi and Mun rivers and is bounded by the Mekong River (north and east on

Moses of Khoren was an author known as the father of Armenian literature. Traditionally believed to have lived in the 5th century ce, Moses has also been dated as late as the 9th century. Nothing is known of his life apart from alleged autobiographical details contained in the History of Armenia,

Khwārezm, historic region along the Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River) of Turkistan, in the territories of present-day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Khwārezm formed part of the empire of Achaemenian Persia (6th–4th century bce). The Arabs conquered it and introduced Islam to the area in the 7th century

Khwārezm-Shāh dynasty, (c. 1077–1231), dynasty that ruled in Central Asia and Iran, first as vassals of the Seljuqs and later as independent rulers. The founder of the dynasty was Anūştegin Gharachaʾī, a slave who was appointed governor of Khwārezm about 1077 by the Seljuq ruler Malik-Shāh.

Mongolia: The northern intermontane basins: The remarkable Khorgo region, on the northern flanks of the Khangai Mountains, has a dozen extinct volcanoes and numerous volcanic lakes. Swift and turbulent rivers have cut jagged gorges. The source stream of the Orkhon River is in another volcanic region, with deep volcanic vents and hot…

Kyiv: Origins and foundation: …(Kiy), Shchek, and Khoryv (Khoriv), leaders of the Polyanian tribe of the East Slavs. Each established his own settlement on a hill, and these settlements became the town of Kyiv, named for the eldest brother, Kyi; a small stream nearby was named for their sister Lybed (Lebid). Although the…

Khorugh, capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan (“Mountain Badakhshan”) autonomous region, south-central Tajikistan. It is situated near the border with Afghanistan in the southwestern Pamirs range at an elevation of 7,200 feet (2,200 m) and on the Gunt River where it flows into the Pyandzh. The city is

Khorram-dīnān, esoteric Islāmic religious sect whose leader Bābak led a rebellion in Azerbaijan (now divided between Iran and Azerbaijan) that lasted from 816 until 837. The doctrinal beliefs of the Khorram-dīnān are not altogether clear. Although the sect accepted the general principles of Islām,

Khorramābād, city, capital of Lorestān province, western Iran. It commands a river gap in the Lorestān mountains used by the main road from Khūzestān to the highland plateau. A summer market for the nomadic Lur tribes, it has lively bazaars and a strong garrison. On a ridge between town and river

Khorram-dīnān, esoteric Islāmic religious sect whose leader Bābak led a rebellion in Azerbaijan (now divided between Iran and Azerbaijan) that lasted from 816 until 837. The doctrinal beliefs of the Khorram-dīnān are not altogether clear. Although the sect accepted the general principles of Islām,

Khorramshahr, city and port, southwestern Iran. It lies on the right (west) bank of the Kārūn River where it enters the Shatt al-Arab, 45 miles (72 km) from the Persian Gulf. The city occupies the site of the old ʿAbbāsid port of Mohammerah, but it was already in existence at the time of Alexander

Dur Sharrukin, ancient Assyrian city located northeast of Nineveh, in Iraq. Built between 717 and 707 bce by the Assyrian king Sargon II (reigned 721–705), Dur Sharrukin exhibits careful town planning. The city measured about 1 square mile (2.59 square km); its outer walls were pierced by seven

Thessaloníki: …foothills and slopes of Mount Khortiátis (Kissós; 3,940 feet [1,201 metres]), overlooking the delta plains of the Gallikós and Vardar (Axiós or Vardaráis) rivers.

Khorugh, capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan (“Mountain Badakhshan”) autonomous region, south-central Tajikistan. It is situated near the border with Afghanistan in the southwestern Pamirs range at an elevation of 7,200 feet (2,200 m) and on the Gunt River where it flows into the Pyandzh. The city is

Kyiv: Origins and foundation: …(Kiy), Shchek, and Khoryv (Khoriv), leaders of the Polyanian tribe of the East Slavs. Each established his own settlement on a hill, and these settlements became the town of Kyiv, named for the eldest brother, Kyi; a small stream nearby was named for their sister Lybed (Lebid). Although the…

Tibet: The Dge-lugs-pa (Yellow Hat sect): …Güüshi Khan, leader of the Khoshut tribe, which had displaced the Tümed, appeared as champion of the Dge-lugs-pa. In 1640 he invaded Tibet, defeating the Gtsang king and his Karma-pa supporters.

Khosrow I was a Persian king who ruled the Sāsānian empire from 531 to 579 and was remembered as a great reformer and patron of the arts and scholarship. Little is known of the early life of Khosrow beyond legends. One story says that when Khosrow’s father, King Kavadh, took refuge with the

Spring of Khosrow Carpet, ancient Persian carpet, possibly the most costly and magnificent of all time, made for the Ctesiphon palace of the Sāsānian king Khosrow I (reigned ad 531–579). Described in the historical annals of the Muslim scholar al-Ṭabari, it became the model for subsequent garden

Spring of Khosrow Carpet, ancient Persian carpet, possibly the most costly and magnificent of all time, made for the Ctesiphon palace of the Sāsānian king Khosrow I (reigned ad 531–579). Described in the historical annals of the Muslim scholar al-Ṭabari, it became the model for subsequent garden

Khosrow I was a Persian king who ruled the Sāsānian empire from 531 to 579 and was remembered as a great reformer and patron of the arts and scholarship. Little is known of the early life of Khosrow beyond legends. One story says that when Khosrow’s father, King Kavadh, took refuge with the

Khosrow II was a late Sāsānian king of Persia (reigned 590–628), under whom the empire achieved its greatest expansion. Defeated at last in a war with the Byzantines, he was deposed in a palace revolution and executed. The son of Hormizd IV, Khosrow was proclaimed king in ad 590 in turbulent times.

Khosrow II: Cultural and economic influence: …the 12th-century poet Neẓāmī in Khosrow-va-Shīrīn.

Khosrow II was a late Sāsānian king of Persia (reigned 590–628), under whom the empire achieved its greatest expansion. Defeated at last in a war with the Byzantines, he was deposed in a palace revolution and executed. The son of Hormizd IV, Khosrow was proclaimed king in ad 590 in turbulent times.

Armenia: The Arsacids: …successor, Macrinus, recognized Vagharshak’s son Tiridates II (Khosrow the Great in Armenian sources) as king of Armenia (217).

Khosrow I was a Persian king who ruled the Sāsānian empire from 531 to 579 and was remembered as a great reformer and patron of the arts and scholarship. Little is known of the early life of Khosrow beyond legends. One story says that when Khosrow’s father, King Kavadh, took refuge with the

Khosrow II: Cultural and economic influence: …the 12th-century poet Neẓāmī in Khosrow-va-Shīrīn.

Hotan, oasis town, southwestern Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, far western China. Hotan forms a county-level city and is the administrative centre of the Hotan prefecture (diqu), which administers a string of counties based on the oases along the southern edge of the Takla Makan Desert. The

Takla Makan Desert: Physiography: The Hotan and Keriya river valleys have survived up to the present day, but most of the shallower rivers have been lost in the sands, after which their empty valleys were filled by wind-borne sand.

Khotan rug, floor covering handwoven in or about the ancient city of Khotan (Hotan) in the southern Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang (Chinese Turkistan). Khotan rugs were once called Samarkand rugs after the Central Asian trading centre. They combine Chinese details with Central Asian design

Saka language, Middle Iranian language spoken in Xinjiang, in northwestern China, by the Saka tribes. Two dialectal varieties are distinguished. Khotanese, from the kingdom of Khotan, is richly attested by Buddhist and other texts dating from the 7th to the 10th century. Most of these writings

Indic writing systems: …which derived the Tibetan and Khotanese systems. (Khotanese was also influenced by the Kharosthi script.) From the Tibetan script were derived the writing system of the Lepcha (Rong)—the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim, India—and the Passepa writing system of the Chinese Imperial chancery under the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368); the Passepa system…