This Day in History (June 17)
Today is Sunday; 27th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 3rd of the Islamic month of Shawwal 1439 lunar hijri; and June 17, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1430 lunar years ago, on this day in 8 AH, the Battle of Hunayn occurred in the valley of the same name between Mecca and Ta’ef, when Arab infidels of the Hawazen and Thaqeef tribes attacked Muslims, following the peaceful surrender of Mecca to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Proud of their military might, the pagan Arabs resolved to strike and kill the Prophet to prevent the spread of the monotheistic teachings of Islam. The Muslims, for their part, were deceived by the apparently large number of converts to the faith by the Meccan Arabs, only a fortnight ago. But when the infidel Arabs ambushed the army of Islam, almost all the neo-Muslim forces, including the Muhajer and the Ansars fled, deserting the Prophet, except for his valiant cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), his another cousin Abu Sufyan ibn Hareth ibn Abdul-Muttaleb, his uncle Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttaleb, and a few others. The valour of Imam Ali (AS) saved the day, while the loud voice of Abbas in urging the fleeing Muslims to return brought back no more than a hundred Muslims to the battlefield. The Prophet, beseeching God Almighty for help, ordered the fight-back. Imam Ali (AS) launched an attack, with his flashing blade Zulfeqar making short work of the fearsome Arab standard-bearer Abu Jaroul and some 40 other warlords, which forced the infidels to retreat, thereby resulting in a decisive defeat for the pagan Arabs. The holy Qur’an has referred to this event in ayahs 25-26 of Surah Towba, which read:
"Allah has certainly helped you in many situations, and on the Day of Hunayn, when your great number impressed you, but it did not avail you in any way, and the earth became narrow for you in spite of its expanse, whereupon you turned your backs [to flee].
"Then Allah sent down His composure upon His Prophet and upon the faithful, and He sent down hosts you did not see, and He punished the faithless, and that is the requital of the faithless."
1362 solar years ago, on this day in 656 AD, Othman ibn Affan, after a 12-year rule as caliph (political ruler), was murdered by Muslims because of nepotism and violation of the principles of the holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). On the death of Omar ibn Khattab, he was chosen caliph by his kinsman Abdur-Rahman ibn Owf on readily agreeing to accept all conditions stipulated by the 6-man council, when the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) on being offered the caliphate refused to follow the innovations that had crept in after the passing away of his cousin the Prophet, saying he will abide only by the Law of God and the Practice of the Prophet. Of weak character, Othman alienated the pious Islamic elite through his acts, including discrimination against the prominent companion of the Prophet, Ammar ibn Yasser and exiling of Abu Zar Gheffari the Prophets’ famous companion – first to Syria and then to the desert of Rabadha. Othman greatly strengthened his dubious Omayyad kinsman Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, who was confirmed as governor of the large formerly Roman province of Syria, and then to the shock and surprise of the Muslims, he recalled to Medina two of the most wicked Omayyads, Hakam bin Aas, and his son, Marwan bin Hakam, whom the Prophet had exiled because of their extremely evil nature. These and other factors led to his killing, despite the earnest efforts of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), to try to find a solution to the crisis that was exacerbated when a group of Egyptian revolutionaries who had met Othman and promised redress to their complaints, caught the caliph’s emissary carrying a secret letter to the governor of Egypt, with orders to execute them on their return. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery when the Muslims prevented his burial in the sacred Jannat al-Baqie Cemetery.
1191 lunar years ago, on this day in 247 AH, the Godless tyrant Mutawakkil, who styled himself the 10th caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, was murdered while drunk and asleep, by his own son, Muntasir, with the help of Turkic guards, at the age of 39 after a reign of 14 years. Named Ja’far on birth to Qaratis, a Greek concubine of Mu’tasim, he became caliph on the suspicious death of his brother Watheq – whose body lay in negligence with mice eating away his eyes, while Mutawakkil held festivities for several days. Immediately he unleashed a reign of terror, especially on the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He persecuted the Prophet’s progeny, instructed judges to always give the verdict against them, forbade them to ride horses in Egypt, forcibly brought the Prophet’s 10th Infallible Heir, Imam Ali an-Naqi (AS), to Samarra from Medina to be placed under house arrest, and blasphemously destroyed the holy shrine of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala, several times. The reason for his murder was his usual habit of cursing the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS) that finally broke the patience of his elder son, Muntasir, who left the assembly of drunkards in rage under the taunts of his father and soon got rid of him. The Commander of the Faithful had prophesied him as "most infidel" of Abbasid rulers.
774 solar years ago, on this day in 1244 AD, following the June 12 Disputation of Paris between Christian priests and Jewish rabbis, in which the followers of Judaism were found guilty of slandering the Immaculate personalities of Prophet Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary (peace upon them), twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris.
692 solar years ago, on this day in 1326 AD, Malik Maqboul Telangani was made minister in Delhi by Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq and bestowed the title of Qawwam ul-Mulk. Born as Kattu Yugandhar in a noble Hindu family of Warangal in the Deccan, and made commander of the Kakatiya Kingdom with the title Ganna Nayaka by King Prataparudra, he was captured in battle by the army of the Delhi Sultanate, and embraced the truth of Islam. Because of his sincerity and loyalty he won the confidence of Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq and was appointed governor of Multan (in today’s Pakistan). His administrative abilities in the Punjab won praise and he was later sent to his native Deccan to deal with the rebellion of his former overlords, the Kakatiyas. On return to Delhi he rose rapidly in ranks to the extent that the next king, Feroze Shah Tughlaq, made him finance minister and then vizier (prime minister) with the title Khan-e Jahan. He mastered the Persian language and accompanied the Sultan on the expedition to Gujarat and successfully subdued the rebels. Feroz Shah would refer to him as "my brother” and during the Sultan’s six-month absence in Sindh, Khan-e Jahan Telangani ably administered Delhi. He never exceeded his powers, and had a strong desire to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which he couldn’t undertake because of state responsibilities. He built several mosques in and around Delhi and on his death his son, Jauna Khan, inherited his position as vizier. Built in 1388, his tomb adjacent to the Sufi shrine of Seyyed Nizam od-Din Awliya was the first octagonal mausoleum in Delhi. The only other octagonal mausoleum predating it in the Subcontinent is the Sufi shrine of Shah Rukn-e Alam in Multan.
605 lunar years ago, on this day in 833 AH, the Iranian historian and geographer, Shehhab od-Din Abdullah ibn Lotfollah, known popularly as Hafez Abrou, passed away in Zanjan, northwestern Iran. He was a native of Herat, the capital of Khorasan, and after education in Hamedan in western Iran, joined the service of the Central Asian conqueror Amir Timur, accompanying him on many of his campaigns, including those to Iraq, Syria and Anatolia. As a court historian and eyewitness of many historical accounts, he also served Timur's son and successor, Shah Rukh. He died while returning from Shah Rukh’s second military campaign to Azarbaijan. He is an authority on the history of the later Ilkhanid period and early Timurid era. Among his major works is the "Majmu'a", which is a collection of three older historical works with annotations by him. His 4-volume "Majma'at-Tawarikh" is a world history covering ancient Iran, the pre-Islamic prophets and events of other lands, with details on the Seljuq and Mongol periods. His history of the Timurid Dynasty titled "Zubdat at-Tawarikh-e Baysunquri" is dedicated to Prince Baysunqur Mirza. He also translated into Persian a geographical work from Arabic, titled "Masalek al-Mamalek wa Suwar al-Aqalim", with focus on the various regions of Iran.
556 solar years ago, on this day in 1462 AD, Vlad the Impaler, the murderous ruler of Wallachia in Romania, attempted to assassinate the Ottoman Sultan Mohammad II, the Conqueror of Constantinople. Also known as "Dracula" which means Son of Dragon, his sadistic cruelties later inspired stories of the bloodsucking Vampire. He is said to have impaled nearly 100,000 Turkish Muslims, although despite claiming to be a defender of Christianity, he impaled and burned tens of thousands of Christians as well during his 19-year reign of terror that ended with his defeat by his consanguineous brother, Radu, who had embraced Islam and was appointed Pasha of Wallachia by the Ottoman Sultan. Vlad, who along with Radu had been sent to the Ottoman court while an adolescent, and taught martial arts, the holy Qur'an as well as the Turkish and Persian languages, developed a deep hatred for his brother because of his being favoured by the young prince Mohammad, the future Sultan. In 1447, on the death of his father he was installed as ruler of his homeland by the Ottomans, but instead of showing gratitude, he turned against them and started the brutal killing of Turkish envoys and tradesmen. In 1462, fed up with his savagery, Sultan Mohammad II led a massive army across the River Danube, with Radu at the head of the famous Jan-Nisari Corps. Vlad fled and during his retreat burned and killed everything in sight. When the Ottoman forces approached, they encountered over 20,000 of their soldiers impaled by the forces of Vlad, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching sight was too much to bear and Sultan Mohammad turned back in disgust. Four years later Vlad, who fled to Hungary, was imprisoned for ten years by the local Christian ruler for crimes against humanity. On release in 1476, when he attempted to stir up sedition once again, he was killed by the Ottomans and his head sent to Constantinople.
442 solar years ago, on this day in 1576 AD, the leader of the uprising of the Dutch against Spanish rule, William Silent, declared Holland’s independence. The uprising had started in 1568, but despite the declaration of independence, the Spanish continued to suppress the Dutch until 1609, when a peace treaty was concluded recognizing Holland’s independence from Spain. Following independence, Holland started occupying other lands, including Muslim Indonesia, and became a major colonial power, before declining in the late 17th century.
387 solar years ago, on this day 1631 AD, Empress Momtaz Mahal of Hindustan (northern Subcontinent), died during childbirth in Burhanpur in the northern Deccan. Her husband, Moghal Emperor Shah Jahan, who deeply loved her, was to spend the next 17 years building over her tomb a magnificent mausoleum of white marble, the famous Taj Mahal in Agra, which is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Born into a family of Iranian nobility and named Arjmand Banu Begum, she was a daughter of Abu’l-Hassan Asef Khan the son of Mirza Ghiyas Beg Tehrani entitled E'temad od-Dowla. She was thus a niece of Empress Noor Jahan, the wife of previous Emperor, Jahangir. Momtaz Mahal, who was a Shi'ite Muslim, gave birth to fourteen children including Mohammad Aurangzeb the next Emperor and last of the Great Mughals.
221 solar years ago, on this day in 1797 AD, Agha Mohammad Khan, the Founder of the Qajarid Dynasty of Iran, was assassinated at the age of 56, three years after crowning himself the Shah. Son of the tribal leader, Mohammad Hassan Khan, he was castrated at the age of 6 on the orders of Adil Shah Afshar to prevent him from becoming a political rival, but this loss did not hinder his career, although it made him cruel and merciless. He became chief of the Qajarid tribe in 1758, but four years later he was captured and sent to Shiraz as a hostage at Karim Khan Zand’'s court, where he lived for 16 years, until his escape in 1779. The same year, the death of Karim Khan plunged Iran into a series of civil wars over the succession, with many members of the Zand dynasty ascending the throne in the space of only ten years. Agha Mohammad Khan took the opportunity to launch a rebellion and in 1794 succeeded in capturing Lotf Ali Khan, the last Zand ruler. Two years later he proclaimed himself Shahanshah (King of Kings). He was, however, a man of extreme violence who killed almost all who could threaten his hold on power. In 1795 he conquered Georgia in the Caucasus, which was formerly part of the Safavid Empire. In the same year he also conquered Khorasan and tortured to death its ruler Shah Rukh, the grandson of Nader Shah Afshar. In 1796 he moved his capital from Sari in his home province of Mazandaran to Tehran. Although the Russians took Derbend in Daghestan and briefly occupied Baku in Northern Azerbaijan in 1796, he successfully expanded Iranian influence into the Caucasus, reasserting sovereignty over its former dependencies. He was succeeded by his nephew, Fath Ali Shah.
142 solar years ago, on this day in 1876 AD, the Battle of the Rosebud in Montana resulted in the victory of 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne tribesmen led by Crazy Horse over US General George Crook's forces during the genocidal wars launched by the white American administration against the Native Amerindians.
141 solar years, on this day in 1877 AD, the Nez Perce Amerindian tribe defeated the US Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory during the genocidal wars launched by the white American administration to exterminate the natives.
124 lunar years ago, on this day in 1315 AH, the prominent Iranian scholar, Ayatollah Mirza Hussain Mar’ashi Shahrestani, passed away in Karbala at the age of 60 and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Imam Husain (AS). Born in Kermanshah in a scholarly family, he attained the status of Ijtehad at a young age. Later he became one of the prominent Sources of Emulation at Najaf seminary in Iraq. He wrote on a wide variety of topics, and among his most important books, mention can be made of "Lubab al-Ijtehad”, and "Tazkerat an-Nafs”.
93 solar years ago, on this day in 1925 AD, a treaty prohibiting the first use of chemical and biological weapons, called the "Geneva Protocol”, was signed in Geneva. One of the main reasons behind it was the wide scale usage of chemical weapons by Germany during World War I. Nonetheless, this treaty has up to now been breached by many states, including the US during the Vietnam War, and the Ba'th minority regime of Saddam, which with western help killed or maimed several thousand Iranians and Iraqi Muslims.
74 solar years ago, on this day in 1944 AD, Iceland gained independence from Denmark, and in 1949 joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Iceland is an island state covering an area of more than 102,000 sq km.
39 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) ordered setting up of the Construction Jihad Organization for self-sufficiency of Iran and for eradication of poverty and deprivation. People of various strata of society, especially pupils, students, and committed and educated youths, responded to the Imam's call and thus started the nationwide mobilization for revival and reconstruction of disadvantaged regions. Construction Jihad has done commendable services, and was active during the eight-year Holy Defence to safeguard Iran's independence and territorial integrity against Saddam's US-supported Ba'thist war machine. Its valuable service cover rural industries, agriculture, animal husbandry, dam construction, natural resources, watershed management and dozens of other fields. It is also active in a number of African states such as Tanzania, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. In 1983, Construction Jihad Organization turned into a Ministry, and in 2000 was merged with the Ministry of Agriculture.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, the Azad (Open) University was established in the Islamic Republic of Iran with nationwide branches in order to help the growing number of those seeking academic qualifications to pursue higher education. With branches throughout Iran and also in some countries abroad, it is one of the largest comprehensive systems of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the world. Over the years, IAU has promoted "higher education for all” as its key objective. Currently it has an enrollment of 1.7 million students. It has university branches in UAE, Britain, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
5 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Jalil Shahnaz, one of the greatest maestros of Persian classical music and a virtuoso of the tar, died at the age of 92. Born in Isfahan, he studied under the supervision of Abdul-Hussain Shahnazi. In 1949 he started his professional career at Radio Isfahan and in 1957 he was invited to cooperate with Radio Tehran. In the capital he worked as a soloist at Golha program for years. In 2004, he was awarded as Immortal Face of Iranian Arts and Music.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)
1430 lunar years ago, on this day in 8 AH, the Battle of Hunayn occurred in the valley of the same name between Mecca and Ta’ef, when Arab infidels of the Hawazen and Thaqeef tribes attacked Muslims, following the peaceful surrender of Mecca to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Proud of their military might, the pagan Arabs resolved to strike and kill the Prophet to prevent the spread of the monotheistic teachings of Islam. The Muslims, for their part, were deceived by the apparently large number of converts to the faith by the Meccan Arabs, only a fortnight ago. But when the infidel Arabs ambushed the army of Islam, almost all the neo-Muslim forces, including the Muhajer and the Ansars fled, deserting the Prophet, except for his valiant cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), his another cousin Abu Sufyan ibn Hareth ibn Abdul-Muttaleb, his uncle Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttaleb, and a few others. The valour of Imam Ali (AS) saved the day, while the loud voice of Abbas in urging the fleeing Muslims to return brought back no more than a hundred Muslims to the battlefield. The Prophet, beseeching God Almighty for help, ordered the fight-back. Imam Ali (AS) launched an attack, with his flashing blade Zulfeqar making short work of the fearsome Arab standard-bearer Abu Jaroul and some 40 other warlords, which forced the infidels to retreat, thereby resulting in a decisive defeat for the pagan Arabs. The holy Qur’an has referred to this event in ayahs 25-26 of Surah Towba, which read:
"Allah has certainly helped you in many situations, and on the Day of Hunayn, when your great number impressed you, but it did not avail you in any way, and the earth became narrow for you in spite of its expanse, whereupon you turned your backs [to flee].
"Then Allah sent down His composure upon His Prophet and upon the faithful, and He sent down hosts you did not see, and He punished the faithless, and that is the requital of the faithless."
1362 solar years ago, on this day in 656 AD, Othman ibn Affan, after a 12-year rule as caliph (political ruler), was murdered by Muslims because of nepotism and violation of the principles of the holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). On the death of Omar ibn Khattab, he was chosen caliph by his kinsman Abdur-Rahman ibn Owf on readily agreeing to accept all conditions stipulated by the 6-man council, when the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) on being offered the caliphate refused to follow the innovations that had crept in after the passing away of his cousin the Prophet, saying he will abide only by the Law of God and the Practice of the Prophet. Of weak character, Othman alienated the pious Islamic elite through his acts, including discrimination against the prominent companion of the Prophet, Ammar ibn Yasser and exiling of Abu Zar Gheffari the Prophets’ famous companion – first to Syria and then to the desert of Rabadha. Othman greatly strengthened his dubious Omayyad kinsman Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, who was confirmed as governor of the large formerly Roman province of Syria, and then to the shock and surprise of the Muslims, he recalled to Medina two of the most wicked Omayyads, Hakam bin Aas, and his son, Marwan bin Hakam, whom the Prophet had exiled because of their extremely evil nature. These and other factors led to his killing, despite the earnest efforts of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), to try to find a solution to the crisis that was exacerbated when a group of Egyptian revolutionaries who had met Othman and promised redress to their complaints, caught the caliph’s emissary carrying a secret letter to the governor of Egypt, with orders to execute them on their return. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery when the Muslims prevented his burial in the sacred Jannat al-Baqie Cemetery.
1191 lunar years ago, on this day in 247 AH, the Godless tyrant Mutawakkil, who styled himself the 10th caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, was murdered while drunk and asleep, by his own son, Muntasir, with the help of Turkic guards, at the age of 39 after a reign of 14 years. Named Ja’far on birth to Qaratis, a Greek concubine of Mu’tasim, he became caliph on the suspicious death of his brother Watheq – whose body lay in negligence with mice eating away his eyes, while Mutawakkil held festivities for several days. Immediately he unleashed a reign of terror, especially on the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He persecuted the Prophet’s progeny, instructed judges to always give the verdict against them, forbade them to ride horses in Egypt, forcibly brought the Prophet’s 10th Infallible Heir, Imam Ali an-Naqi (AS), to Samarra from Medina to be placed under house arrest, and blasphemously destroyed the holy shrine of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala, several times. The reason for his murder was his usual habit of cursing the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS) that finally broke the patience of his elder son, Muntasir, who left the assembly of drunkards in rage under the taunts of his father and soon got rid of him. The Commander of the Faithful had prophesied him as "most infidel" of Abbasid rulers.
774 solar years ago, on this day in 1244 AD, following the June 12 Disputation of Paris between Christian priests and Jewish rabbis, in which the followers of Judaism were found guilty of slandering the Immaculate personalities of Prophet Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary (peace upon them), twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris.
692 solar years ago, on this day in 1326 AD, Malik Maqboul Telangani was made minister in Delhi by Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq and bestowed the title of Qawwam ul-Mulk. Born as Kattu Yugandhar in a noble Hindu family of Warangal in the Deccan, and made commander of the Kakatiya Kingdom with the title Ganna Nayaka by King Prataparudra, he was captured in battle by the army of the Delhi Sultanate, and embraced the truth of Islam. Because of his sincerity and loyalty he won the confidence of Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq and was appointed governor of Multan (in today’s Pakistan). His administrative abilities in the Punjab won praise and he was later sent to his native Deccan to deal with the rebellion of his former overlords, the Kakatiyas. On return to Delhi he rose rapidly in ranks to the extent that the next king, Feroze Shah Tughlaq, made him finance minister and then vizier (prime minister) with the title Khan-e Jahan. He mastered the Persian language and accompanied the Sultan on the expedition to Gujarat and successfully subdued the rebels. Feroz Shah would refer to him as "my brother” and during the Sultan’s six-month absence in Sindh, Khan-e Jahan Telangani ably administered Delhi. He never exceeded his powers, and had a strong desire to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which he couldn’t undertake because of state responsibilities. He built several mosques in and around Delhi and on his death his son, Jauna Khan, inherited his position as vizier. Built in 1388, his tomb adjacent to the Sufi shrine of Seyyed Nizam od-Din Awliya was the first octagonal mausoleum in Delhi. The only other octagonal mausoleum predating it in the Subcontinent is the Sufi shrine of Shah Rukn-e Alam in Multan.
605 lunar years ago, on this day in 833 AH, the Iranian historian and geographer, Shehhab od-Din Abdullah ibn Lotfollah, known popularly as Hafez Abrou, passed away in Zanjan, northwestern Iran. He was a native of Herat, the capital of Khorasan, and after education in Hamedan in western Iran, joined the service of the Central Asian conqueror Amir Timur, accompanying him on many of his campaigns, including those to Iraq, Syria and Anatolia. As a court historian and eyewitness of many historical accounts, he also served Timur's son and successor, Shah Rukh. He died while returning from Shah Rukh’s second military campaign to Azarbaijan. He is an authority on the history of the later Ilkhanid period and early Timurid era. Among his major works is the "Majmu'a", which is a collection of three older historical works with annotations by him. His 4-volume "Majma'at-Tawarikh" is a world history covering ancient Iran, the pre-Islamic prophets and events of other lands, with details on the Seljuq and Mongol periods. His history of the Timurid Dynasty titled "Zubdat at-Tawarikh-e Baysunquri" is dedicated to Prince Baysunqur Mirza. He also translated into Persian a geographical work from Arabic, titled "Masalek al-Mamalek wa Suwar al-Aqalim", with focus on the various regions of Iran.
556 solar years ago, on this day in 1462 AD, Vlad the Impaler, the murderous ruler of Wallachia in Romania, attempted to assassinate the Ottoman Sultan Mohammad II, the Conqueror of Constantinople. Also known as "Dracula" which means Son of Dragon, his sadistic cruelties later inspired stories of the bloodsucking Vampire. He is said to have impaled nearly 100,000 Turkish Muslims, although despite claiming to be a defender of Christianity, he impaled and burned tens of thousands of Christians as well during his 19-year reign of terror that ended with his defeat by his consanguineous brother, Radu, who had embraced Islam and was appointed Pasha of Wallachia by the Ottoman Sultan. Vlad, who along with Radu had been sent to the Ottoman court while an adolescent, and taught martial arts, the holy Qur'an as well as the Turkish and Persian languages, developed a deep hatred for his brother because of his being favoured by the young prince Mohammad, the future Sultan. In 1447, on the death of his father he was installed as ruler of his homeland by the Ottomans, but instead of showing gratitude, he turned against them and started the brutal killing of Turkish envoys and tradesmen. In 1462, fed up with his savagery, Sultan Mohammad II led a massive army across the River Danube, with Radu at the head of the famous Jan-Nisari Corps. Vlad fled and during his retreat burned and killed everything in sight. When the Ottoman forces approached, they encountered over 20,000 of their soldiers impaled by the forces of Vlad, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching sight was too much to bear and Sultan Mohammad turned back in disgust. Four years later Vlad, who fled to Hungary, was imprisoned for ten years by the local Christian ruler for crimes against humanity. On release in 1476, when he attempted to stir up sedition once again, he was killed by the Ottomans and his head sent to Constantinople.
442 solar years ago, on this day in 1576 AD, the leader of the uprising of the Dutch against Spanish rule, William Silent, declared Holland’s independence. The uprising had started in 1568, but despite the declaration of independence, the Spanish continued to suppress the Dutch until 1609, when a peace treaty was concluded recognizing Holland’s independence from Spain. Following independence, Holland started occupying other lands, including Muslim Indonesia, and became a major colonial power, before declining in the late 17th century.
387 solar years ago, on this day 1631 AD, Empress Momtaz Mahal of Hindustan (northern Subcontinent), died during childbirth in Burhanpur in the northern Deccan. Her husband, Moghal Emperor Shah Jahan, who deeply loved her, was to spend the next 17 years building over her tomb a magnificent mausoleum of white marble, the famous Taj Mahal in Agra, which is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Born into a family of Iranian nobility and named Arjmand Banu Begum, she was a daughter of Abu’l-Hassan Asef Khan the son of Mirza Ghiyas Beg Tehrani entitled E'temad od-Dowla. She was thus a niece of Empress Noor Jahan, the wife of previous Emperor, Jahangir. Momtaz Mahal, who was a Shi'ite Muslim, gave birth to fourteen children including Mohammad Aurangzeb the next Emperor and last of the Great Mughals.
221 solar years ago, on this day in 1797 AD, Agha Mohammad Khan, the Founder of the Qajarid Dynasty of Iran, was assassinated at the age of 56, three years after crowning himself the Shah. Son of the tribal leader, Mohammad Hassan Khan, he was castrated at the age of 6 on the orders of Adil Shah Afshar to prevent him from becoming a political rival, but this loss did not hinder his career, although it made him cruel and merciless. He became chief of the Qajarid tribe in 1758, but four years later he was captured and sent to Shiraz as a hostage at Karim Khan Zand’'s court, where he lived for 16 years, until his escape in 1779. The same year, the death of Karim Khan plunged Iran into a series of civil wars over the succession, with many members of the Zand dynasty ascending the throne in the space of only ten years. Agha Mohammad Khan took the opportunity to launch a rebellion and in 1794 succeeded in capturing Lotf Ali Khan, the last Zand ruler. Two years later he proclaimed himself Shahanshah (King of Kings). He was, however, a man of extreme violence who killed almost all who could threaten his hold on power. In 1795 he conquered Georgia in the Caucasus, which was formerly part of the Safavid Empire. In the same year he also conquered Khorasan and tortured to death its ruler Shah Rukh, the grandson of Nader Shah Afshar. In 1796 he moved his capital from Sari in his home province of Mazandaran to Tehran. Although the Russians took Derbend in Daghestan and briefly occupied Baku in Northern Azerbaijan in 1796, he successfully expanded Iranian influence into the Caucasus, reasserting sovereignty over its former dependencies. He was succeeded by his nephew, Fath Ali Shah.
142 solar years ago, on this day in 1876 AD, the Battle of the Rosebud in Montana resulted in the victory of 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne tribesmen led by Crazy Horse over US General George Crook's forces during the genocidal wars launched by the white American administration against the Native Amerindians.
141 solar years, on this day in 1877 AD, the Nez Perce Amerindian tribe defeated the US Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory during the genocidal wars launched by the white American administration to exterminate the natives.
124 lunar years ago, on this day in 1315 AH, the prominent Iranian scholar, Ayatollah Mirza Hussain Mar’ashi Shahrestani, passed away in Karbala at the age of 60 and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Imam Husain (AS). Born in Kermanshah in a scholarly family, he attained the status of Ijtehad at a young age. Later he became one of the prominent Sources of Emulation at Najaf seminary in Iraq. He wrote on a wide variety of topics, and among his most important books, mention can be made of "Lubab al-Ijtehad”, and "Tazkerat an-Nafs”.
93 solar years ago, on this day in 1925 AD, a treaty prohibiting the first use of chemical and biological weapons, called the "Geneva Protocol”, was signed in Geneva. One of the main reasons behind it was the wide scale usage of chemical weapons by Germany during World War I. Nonetheless, this treaty has up to now been breached by many states, including the US during the Vietnam War, and the Ba'th minority regime of Saddam, which with western help killed or maimed several thousand Iranians and Iraqi Muslims.
74 solar years ago, on this day in 1944 AD, Iceland gained independence from Denmark, and in 1949 joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Iceland is an island state covering an area of more than 102,000 sq km.
39 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) ordered setting up of the Construction Jihad Organization for self-sufficiency of Iran and for eradication of poverty and deprivation. People of various strata of society, especially pupils, students, and committed and educated youths, responded to the Imam's call and thus started the nationwide mobilization for revival and reconstruction of disadvantaged regions. Construction Jihad has done commendable services, and was active during the eight-year Holy Defence to safeguard Iran's independence and territorial integrity against Saddam's US-supported Ba'thist war machine. Its valuable service cover rural industries, agriculture, animal husbandry, dam construction, natural resources, watershed management and dozens of other fields. It is also active in a number of African states such as Tanzania, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. In 1983, Construction Jihad Organization turned into a Ministry, and in 2000 was merged with the Ministry of Agriculture.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, the Azad (Open) University was established in the Islamic Republic of Iran with nationwide branches in order to help the growing number of those seeking academic qualifications to pursue higher education. With branches throughout Iran and also in some countries abroad, it is one of the largest comprehensive systems of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the world. Over the years, IAU has promoted "higher education for all” as its key objective. Currently it has an enrollment of 1.7 million students. It has university branches in UAE, Britain, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
5 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Jalil Shahnaz, one of the greatest maestros of Persian classical music and a virtuoso of the tar, died at the age of 92. Born in Isfahan, he studied under the supervision of Abdul-Hussain Shahnazi. In 1949 he started his professional career at Radio Isfahan and in 1957 he was invited to cooperate with Radio Tehran. In the capital he worked as a soloist at Golha program for years. In 2004, he was awarded as Immortal Face of Iranian Arts and Music.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)