This Day in History (February 1)

Date: 31 January 2018 - 20:59

News ID: ۴۹۵۶۱

Today is Thursday; 12th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 14th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1439 lunar hijri; and February 1, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1026 solar years ago, on this day in 992 AD, the famous Greek Muslim general and statesman of the Fatemid Ismaili Shi'a Muslim dynasty of Egypt and North Africa, Jowhar bin Abdullah as-Siqili, or the Sicilian, died shortly after his disastrous defeat in battle near Syria – his second unsuccessful bid to conquer Syria. Earlier he had conquered Egypt and the built the city of Cairo including the famous al-Azhar Mosque and academy. Born a Christian on the island of Sicily near what is now Italy, he embraced the truth of Islam and joined the service of the Fatemids, soon rising into prominence as "al-Kateb” (the Chancellor) and "al-Qa'ed” (or the General). He subdued North Africa as far as the Atlantic coast and then turned towards the east to wrest control of Egypt from the Ikhshidid Turkic governors of the Abbasid caliphate. He built Cairo as the new capital of the Fatemids, by publicly bearing testimony in the Azaan, or the call to prayer, to the imamate of Imam Ali (AS) after the Prophethood of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). The phrase "hayya ala khayr il-amal", meaning ‘hasten to the best of deeds’, which was dropped from the Azaan by the second caliph, was also revived and echoed from the minarets of "al-Azhar", which is a derivative of "Az-Zahra" or the Radiant, the famous epithet of the Prophet’s Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema (peace upon her).
728 solar years ago, on this day in 1290 AD, with the assassination of Sultan Kai-Qobad at the instigation of Jalal od-Din Khilji, the Turkic Slave Dynasty of Delhi ended after a rule of 84 years in most of the northern parts of the subcontinent. Jalal od-Din Khilji, who was from Zabul in eastern Iran and was appointed chief of the army by Kai-Qobad, had first contrived to assassinate the vizier, Nizam od-Din, before consolidating his power and finally seizing the throne to establish the short-lived Khilji Dynasty. Six years later, he himself was killed by his nephew Ali Gurshasp, who ascended the throne of Delhi under the title, Ala od-Din Khilji, and expanded Muslim rule throughout India.
395 solar years ago, on this day in 1623 AD, the Portuguese naval commander, Ruy Friere, surrendered to the Iranian navy at Qeshm Island at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. On February 9, the Safavid emperor, Shah Abbasid I, liberated the strategic Hormuz Island in the Strait of the same name, and thus drove out the Portuguese from the Persian Gulf. Some 20 years earlier, Iran had also liberated Bahrain from the Portuguese occupiers.
305 solar years ago, on this day in 1713 AD, the Kalabalik-e Benderi (which means ‘Tumult in the Port’) results from the Ottoman Sultan's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized. The skirmish was devised to remove Charles XII of Sweden from the Ottoman Empire after his military defeats in Russia. It took place on Ottoman territory, in what is now the town of Bender in Moldova. After the Swedish defeat by the Russians at the Battle of Poltava on 27 June 1709 and the surrender of most of the Swedish army at Perevolochna three days later, Charles XII fled together with a few hundred Swedish soldiers and a large number of Cossacks to the border areas of the Ottoman Empire for safety, and spent a total of five years. As an unwelcome he was assaulted by scores of Ottoman soldiers who captured him and the remaining fighters. After some time as a prisoner, Charles XII and his soldiers were released when news of the Swedish victory in the battle of Gadebusch reached the Ottomans. Charles then started to plan his trip back to Sweden. In Turkish the word for "crowd" or "tumult" is "kalabal?k”, which after the incident has become a Swedish loanword, "kalabalik”, with the meaning "confusion" or "great disorder".
309 solar years ago, on this day in 1709 AD, British sailor, Alexander Selkirk, was rescued after being marooned on the uninhabited Mas-a-Tierra Island for 5 years. His story of survival was widely publicised when he returned home, and partly became a source of inspiration for the writer Daniel Defoe's fictional character Robinson Crusoe. Selkirk spent four years stranded on the Juan Fernandez Islands – he lived on Mas-a-Tierra [Closer to Land] which was renamed Robinson Crusoe Island in 1966. It  is interesting to note that Defoe’s novel was also inspired by the Latin/English translation of the book "Hayy ibn Yaqdhan” by the Spanish Muslim polymath Ibn Tufail, who drew the name of the tale and most of its characters from an earlier work by the Iranian Islamic multi-sided genius, Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna).
268 solar years ago, on this day in 1750 AD, the Georgian prince, Bakar of the Mukhrani branch of the Bagrationi dynasty, died in Russia. He was the son of King Vakhtang VI who left him in charge of Kartli (eastern Georgia) during his absence at the Safavid court of Persia from September 1716 to August 1719. His position was recognized by Shah Sultan Hussain Safavi, who invested him in 1717, with the title of Shah Nawaz, a crown, sword, gold insignia, and robe of honor. The Iranian monarch also appointed him commander-in-chief of the Persian army and governor-general of Azarbaijan. When the Ottoman armies invaded Georgia in 1723, taking advantage of Shah Sultan Hussain Safavi's defeat by the Afghan invaders, Bakar attempted to negotiate, but eventually followed his father into exile in Russia in July 1724. In Moscow he was engaged in cultural activities, in addition to his involvement in Russian diplomatic and military service.
204 solar years ago, on this day in 1814 AD, the bloody Routier Confrontation took place in the region of the same name between the 160,000-strong armies of Prussia, Austria, and Sweden and the 42,000-strong army of France led by Napoleon Bonaparte. In this battle, the French troops, which were demoralized and outnumbered, could not resist against the enemy and the battle ended with Napoleon’s failure.
127 lunar years ago, on this day in 1312 AH, the hadith scholar and preacher, Mullah Ismail Sabzevari, passed away in Tehran. He was born in the northeastern Iranian city of Sabzevar. He learned philosophy under the prominent philosopher, Mullah Hadi Sabzevari, and later left for the Najaf Seminary to complete higher studies. After attaining the status of Ijtehad – independent reasoning based on Holy Qur’an and Prophet’s Hadith – he returned to Tehran. He has left behind numerous compilations, including "Majma an-Noorayn”, and "Nawader al-Asaar”.
113 lunar years ago, on this day in 1326 AH, the Iranian mathematician, Mirza Abdul-Ghaffar Tehrani, titled "Najm od-Dowlah” passed away. He was a product of the famous schools of his day such as Daar ul-Fonoun, and later taught mathematics at this academy in Tehran for many years. Books authored by him, include "Bedayat al-Hesaab” and "Usoul-e Hendesa” on geometry.
100 solar years ago, on this day in 1918 AD, Russia adopted the Gregorian Calendar after the Communists under Valadimir Lenin had seized power to divert the Russian revolution from its course. During Czarist rule, Russia followed the Julian Calendar that used to begin in March, and not January.
60 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, Syria and Egypt formed the United Arab Republic. Most Syrians resented the merger. The union of Syria and Egypt was dissolved in 1961 following a coup in Syria. Egypt kept the name United Arab Republic until 1971.
50 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, the execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnamese Police Chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan, on the orders of the US occupation forces, was videotaped and photographed by Eddie Adams. This image helped build opposition to the war the Americans had imposed on Vietnam.
39 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) returned to Iran from 15 years of exile and was accorded an unprecedentedly glorious welcome by millions of people. After a short speech at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, he went to Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery to pay tributes to martyrs of the Islamic Revolution. In his memorable speech he dismissed as illegal the cabinet of the fugitive Shah’s premier, Shapour Bakhtiyar. The beloved leader took up residence in a simple house in Tehran from where he guided the Islamic Revolution to final victory on February 11. For this reason, the ten days since his arrival and the final victory are celebrated every year as the "Ten-Day Dawn", with special ceremonies and festivities.
34 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad, on the instructions of his masters in Washington, launched a new series of air attacks on Iran’s shipping. His aim was to plunge the Persian Gulf into turmoil and disrupt oil exports, in a bid to involve his chief backer, the US, in the 8-year long war he had imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
27 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, Afghanistan and Pakistan were hit by an earthquake that killed at least 1,200 people, devastated wide areas, and made several thousand people homeless.
8 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, over 70 Shi’a Muslim pilgrims were martyred and more than a hundred others injured in the Shaab neighbourhood of northern Baghdad, when an unsuspecting woman given a bag full of explosives by Takfiris was blown to bits through remote control by terrorists backed by Saudi Arabia, as part of the US-Zionist plot to destabilize Iraq.
5 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, over 30 Shi’a Muslim worshippers were martyred and more than seventy others injured during prayers in a mosque in Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, that was targeted by Saudi-backed terrorists through remote control after an unsuspecting person was bribed to tie up a belt of explosives of which he was not aware.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)