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Page from the Masnavi
Collection of poems (masnavi), Walters Art Museum Ms. W.625, fol. 51b A leaf from an elegantly calligraphed and illuminated copy of the collection of poems, known as Mas̱navī-i maʿnavī, by Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (d.672 AH / 1273 CE). This codex...
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Medieval Knight
Knights were the most-feared and best-protected warriors on the medieval battlefield, while off it, they were amongst the most fashionably dressed and best-mannered members of society. To reach this elevated position, however, became more...
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King Solomon and the Hoopoe
Collection of poems (divan), King Solomon and the hoopoe who brought news from Queen Sheba, Walters Manuscript W.636, fol. 84a An illustrated copy of the collection of poems (Dīvān) by Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiz al-Shīrāzī who flourished...
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Book of Exodus
Fragment of the book of Exodus, Text page, Walters Manuscript W.739, fol. 1r This fragment from the Book of Exodus is a bifolium presenting the text of Exodus 21:16-35a on fol. 1 and 23:5b-21a on fol. 2. The missing text in between these...
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Evangelist Portrait of Luke
Evangelist Portrait of Luke, Ethiopian Gospels, early 16th century CE, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD.
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Europe
Europe is a continent forming the westernmost part of the land mass of Eurasia and comprised of 49 sovereign states. Its name may come from the Greek myth of Europa, but human habitation of the region predates that tale, going back over 150,000...
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Ancient Celts
The ancient Celts were various tribal groups living in parts of western and central Europe in the Late Bronze Age and through the Iron Age (c. 700 BCE to c. 400 CE). Given the name Celts by ancient writers, these tribes and their culture...
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Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille was a decisive moment in the early months of the French Revolution (1789-1799). On 14 July 1789, the Bastille, a fortress and political prison symbolizing the oppressiveness of France’s Ancien Régime was attacked...
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Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel is an ancient temple complex, originally cut into a solid rock cliff, in southern Egypt and located at the second cataract of the Nile River. The two temples which comprise the site were created during the reign of Ramesses II...
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Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, constructed 532-537, continues to be revered as one of the most important structures in the world. Hagia Sophia (Greek Ἁγία Σοφία, for 'Holy Wisdom') was designed to be the major basilica of the Byzantine Empire...