Today is Wednesday; 5th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 18th of the Islamic month of Sha’ban 1437 lunar hijri; and May 25, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
2601 solar years ago, on this day in 585 BC, the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus – in Asia Minor or what is now western Turkey – made the first known prediction of a solar eclipse. A historically registered eclipse occurred during the savage war between the Lydians and the Medians. The event caused both sides to stop military action and sign for peace.
1116 lunar years ago, on this day in 321 AH, the renowned Arab lexicographer, literary figure, and poet, Mohammed ibn Hassan Ibn Durayd, passed away in Baghdad. He was born at Basra, where he studied under various teachers, but fled to Oman when Basra was attacked and occupied by the tyrannical forces of Zanj. After living twelve years in Oman he went to Iran, and under the protection of the governor, Abdullah ibn Mohammad ibn Mikal, and his son, Ismail, wrote his chief works, including "Jamhara fi’l-Lugha”, a 4-volume dictionary, published for the first time in Hyderabad Deccan some 85 years ago. Ibn Durayd later settled in Baghdad. The "Maqsurah”, is his poetical masterpiece in praise of Ibn Mikal and his son. Another of his works is the "Kitab al-Ishtiqaq” on etymology. He was a follower of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt and has written poems on the unrivalled merits of Imam Ali (AS) and the other Infallible Imams.
1111 lunar years ago, on this day in 326 AH, Abu’l-Qasim Hussain ibn Rouh an-Nowbakhti, the 3rd deputy of the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (AS), passed away after serving as the special representative for 21 years during the "Ghaybat as-Sughra” (Minor Occultation) of the 12th Imam. His tomb in Baghdad is the site of pilgrimage. Of Iranian stock, he was born in Qom and belonged to the famous family of scholars that produced the astronomer Abu Sahl al-Fadhl an-Nowbakht, the son of Nowbakht Ahvazi al-Farsi who designed the astrological chart for construction of Baghdad. Hussain ibn Rouh settled in Baghdad where he became a prominent jurisprudent, theologian, and hadith expert. He was imprisoned for five years by the Abbasid regime which tried in vain to extract information from him about the whereabouts of the 12th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
921 solar years ago, on this day in 1085 AD, Spanish Muslims lost to Alfonso VI of Castile and his army of Christian mercenaries from other parts of Europe, the historic city of Toledo. The Muslims had turned this central Spanish city into a glorious example of Islamic civilization during three-and-a-half centuries of rule, with colleges, mosques, baths, libraries, bazaars and palaces – some of which survive till this day. Known as Toletum to the Romans, it was called Tulaytulah in Arabic and produced many famous scholars, such as Abu Ishaq az-Zarqali, the instrument maker, astrologer, and the leading astronomer of his time, known as Arzachel to medieval Europe – the crater Arzachel on the Moon is named after him. In 1986, Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its cultural and monumental heritage and historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures.
558 solar years ago, on this day in 1458 AD, Sultan Mahmoud Shah I of Gujarat, western India, was born. Known as Mahmoud Begara, he was the most prominent sultan of Gujarat, and was the great-grandson of Ahmad Shah I, the founder of the Muzaffarid dynasty, and of the city of Ahmadabad. He ruled for 43 years. He contacted the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Sultan of Cairo to form a naval alliance against Portuguese in the Indian Ocean, and it was during his reign the famous Battle of Diu took place against the European marauders. He undertook great many public works in his kingdom, and built a magnificent Jama Mosque in Champaner, which ranks amongst the finest architectural edifices in Gujarat. It is an imposing structure on a high plinth with two tall minarets 30 m tall, 172 pillars and seven mihrabs. Topped with a central dome, the balconies and carved entrance gates have fine lattice work in stone.
470 lunar years ago, on this day in 967 AH, the Ottoman fleet led by the Croat Muslim Admiral Piyale Pasha and the Bey of Tripoli Turgut Ra’ees, who was a Greek Muslim, defeated a combined Christian fleet, led by the Spanish, in the Battle of Jerba off the island of the same name near Tunis, in one of the major marine battles that prevented North Africa from falling to the expansionist designs of Christian powers. Over two thirds of the huge Christian armada was destroyed and as many as 18,000 killed in addition to 5,000 captured and taken to Istanbul, while the Ottoman loss was only one thousand soldiers. Since losing to the Ottoman fleet of Khayr od-Din Pasha (Barbarossa) at the Battle of Preveza over two decades earlier, and the disastrous expedition of Emperor Charles V against Algiers, some three years later, the major European sea powers in the Mediterranean, especially King Philip II of Spain together with Venice, appealed to Pope Paul IV in Rome and his allies to organize a Christian expedition against North Africa, two years after Piyale Pasha and Turgut Raees had captured the Balearic Islands and raided the Mediterranean coasts of Spain. The battle again proved the naval superiority of the Muslims and was over in a matter of hours, with about half the Christian ships captured or sunk.
355 solar years ago, on this day in 1661 AD, King Charles II of England married Portuguese princess Catherina Braganza. India’s city of Mumbai, made up of seven islands, was given by Portugal to Charles as dowry for his wife. Known as Heptanesia or Cluster of Seven Islands to the Greek geographer Ptolemy in 150 CE, this part was ruled by successive dynasties before becoming part of the Khalji Sultanate of Delhi and subsequently the Muzaffaird Sultanate of Gujarat. From 1429 onwards, the islands were a source of contention between Gujarat and the Bahmani Sultanate of Iranian origin of the Deccan. In 1535, the Portuguese occupied these islands. Following the British takeover these were the target of constant raids by the Abyssinian Muslim admirals of the Mughals and then the Marathas. By 1845, the seven islands coalesced into a single landmass called Bombay by the Hornby Vellard Project via large scale land reclamation. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest seaports on the Arabian Sea. Today, it is the commercial capital of India and has evolved into a global financial hub, in addition to being the seat of the thriving Bollywood film industry. Of its 14 million population 25 percent is Muslim. It is also home to the largest Zoroastrian community in the world, numbering about 80,000 and known as Parsi, whose ancestors had migrated from Iran. This cosmopolitan city is also home to hundreds of thousands of Muslims of Iranian origin, including the Yazdis who came last century and run the restaurant and tea businesses.
213 solar years ago, on this day in 1803 AD, US author and thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was born in Boston. On his visit to Europe, he studied continental literature and published his first book: "Nature”. He is the first American author, who became familiar with the rich Iranian literature and managed to introduce to the Western world, Persian poetry and literary figures such as Hafez, Sa’di, Mowlavi, and Khayyam. He was particularly captivated by the beauty of the lyrics of Hafez. Comparing Hafiz with some leading Western poets, Emerson pointed out Hafez’s more mystical attitude towards nature, saying: "Hafez is the prince of Persian poets, and in his extraordinary gift adds to some o the attributes of Pindar, Ansacreon, Horace, and Burns the insight of a mystic, that sometimes affords a deeper glance at Nature than belongs to either of those bards. He accounts all topics with an easy audacity.” Emerson died in 1882.
170 solar years ago, on this day in 1846 AD, Albanian Muslim poet and writer, Na’eem Frasheri, was born in Frasher in Albania. A prominent figure of the Albanian National Awakening, he is widely regarded as the national poet of Albania. His father was a Bey from Frasher, from a family with long connections to the Bektashi Shi’ite Muslim Sufi order, founded by the 13th century Iranian mystic, Haji Bektashi Vali of Naishapour, who had settled in Anatolia (Turkey) during the days of Seljuqid Sultanate of Roum. Frasheri’s earliest writings were poetry and the very first poems he wrote were in Persian. In all, he authored twenty-two major works: four in Turkish, one in Persian, two in Greek and fifteen in his native Albanian. His patriotic poems and highly popular lyric poetry were strongly influenced by Persian literature. He also translated Homer’s Iliad, and wrote articles on didactics and Islamic practices. Through his writings, he exerted a strong influence on Albanian literature and society. He passed away at the age of 54 in Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire, where he served as an official of the ministry of culture. Today, the government of Albania has depicted his picture on the obverses of the Albanian 500 leke banknote and the 200 leke banknote. He was survived by his only son, Mahdi Frasheri, who twice served as prime minister of Albania, before and during World War 2.
113 lunar years ago, on this day in 1324 AH, the first-ever Iranian parliament started its work, thanks to the selfless struggles of the people. Its prominent members included two popular religious leaders, Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabai, and Seyyed Abdullah Behbahani. Soon, Iran’s first Constitution was drafted and signed by the Qajarid King, Mozaffar od-Din Shah. It was the one of the most active parliaments during the Constitutional era, before deviation set in.
108 solar years ago, on this day in 1908 AD, oil was recovered for the first time in Iran in the Masjid Suleiman area in the southwest, at a 60-meter depth, with oil gushing up to a height of 25 meters. The Masjid Suleiman area is of paramount importance in regard to its mines and hydro-carbons and up to now more than 250 oil wells have been drilled. Iran also possesses the world’s second largest natural gas reserves as well. Oil seepages had been noted for centuries in Iran, where the oozing was used for such purposes as the caulking of boats and the binding of bricks.
53 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, thirty African states met to form the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The founders of this organization were President Jamal Abdun-Naser of Egypt, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and President Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea. On July 2002, the Organization of African Unity was renamed The African Union. It has 53 members and is headquartered in Ethiopia.
31 solar years ago, on this day in 1985 AD, Bangladesh was hit by a tropical cyclone and storm which killed approximately 10,000 people.
26 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, Dr. Ali Akbar Siyasi, the Father of Modern Iranian Psychology, passed away in his hometown Tehran at the age of 92. A notable and important intellectual, psychologist and politician during the 1930s and 1960s, he served as the country’s Foreign Minister, Minister of Education, Chancellor of University of Tehran, and Minister of State without portfolio. He drafted bill and law for National Compulsory Free Education, and took necessary measures for its enforcement. Besides he was a permanent member of the Persian Academy, president of Iranian Psychological Association; and co-founder of the Iranian Youth Association. Among the books he wrote are "Introduction to Philosophy” (1947), "Logic and Methodology” (1948), "Mind and Body” (1953), "The Psychology of Avicenna and its similarities with Modern Psychology” (1954), "Logic and Philosophy” (1958), "Intelligence and Reason” (1962), "Criminal Psychology” (1964), and "Psychology of Personality” (1975).
11 solar years ago, on this day in 2005 AD, Iran’s celebrated Mo’azzen or Caller to Prayer, Rahim Mo’azzen Zadeh Ardabili, passed away in Tehran at the age of 80. Born in Ardabil in a religious family; his father Abdul-Karim Mo’azzen-Zadeh Ardabili was himself a Mo’azzen, whose Azan was broadcast on line by the radio, every morning from 1943 to1947, from Tehran’s Grand Imam Mosque in the Main Bazaar. In 1947, on his death, he was succeeded by his son, Rahim Mo’azaen-Zadeh, both at the mosque and on radio. His famous prayer call (Azan) is in Bayat Turk Style (a style in Persian music), and it was performed on the radio station located in 15th Khordad Square in 1955. This Azan is still broadcast by the radio and the TV. He used to say: "During the last years, a spiritual pride had been along with me for recording this prayer call, and this spiritual wealth is enough for me.”
 (Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://english.irib.ir)