Today is Saturday; 22ndof the Iranian month of Khordad 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 5thof the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1437 lunar hijri; and June 11, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

3200 solar years ago, on this day in 1184 BC, the long Trojan War came to its end with the sack and burning of Troy in Asia Minor or present day Turkey by the Greeks, according to the calculations of the geographer and mathematician Eratosthenes, the librarian of the Great Library of Alexandria, then the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt.

2339 solar years ago, on this day in 323 BC Alexander of Macedonia, conqueror of the Achaemenid Empire, died at the age of 33 in Babylon in what is now Iraq. Because of the laxity of Emperor Darius III and the Persian generals, this upstart adventurer succeeded in seizing from the Iranians what is now Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and finally Iran itself along with what are now Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan, all of which were Persian satrapies. Alexander brutally suppressed the people and wantonly destroyed Persepolis (near modern Shiraz), which was the capital of the vast Achaemenid Empire. After him, his generals set up independent dynasties in different regions. In Iran, the Greek Seleucids were finally driven out by the Parthians, who set up the next great Iranian Empire covering what is now Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of central Asia.

1230 solar years ago, on this day in 786 AD, the Fakh Uprising against the tyrannical rule of the usurper Abbasid regime took place near Mecca resulting in the martyrdom of Hussain ibn Ali ibn Hassan, a descendant of Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). It was the most brutal incident after the heartrending Tragedy of Karbala, and was perpetrated by the 4th self-styled Abbasid caliph, Musa al-Hadi during his short reign of two years. Most of the supporters of the Ahl al-Bayt were martyred in this unequal battle, and the heads of the martyrs mounted on lances were taken to the caliph's court in Baghdad. Among the few survivors, was Idris Ibn Abdullah al-Hasani, who managed to escape to Egypt, where aided by Wadhih, a postal manager, he reached Morocco, and founded the Idrisi Shi'ite Muslim state that flourished for almost 200 years, independent of the Abbasid caliphate.

791 lunar years ago, on this day in 546 AH, the famous Iranian physician, Afzal od-Din Tabib, passed away at the age of 56. He was from Khonj, and in addition to medicine, he was well versed in Islamic sciences, including jurisprudence, and hadith. He wrote several works, including “Kashf al-AsraaranGhawamedh al-Afkaar”. He also wrote a commentary on “al-Qanounfi’t-Tibb” (or Canons of Medicine) of the famous Iranian-Islamic polymath, Abu Ali ibn Sina.

771 lunar years ago, on this day in 666 AH, Muslims led by Egypt's Mamluk Turkic Sultan, Rukn od-Din Baibars al-Bunduqdari, liberated the Syrian city of Antioch, which is currently in Turkey, from the Crusaders after 170 years of European occupation. Baibars, who earlier as general, had inflicted devastating defeats on both the Crusaders and Iran-based Ilkhanid Mongols, united Egypt and Syria into a powerful state, and liberated most of areas of Syria and Palestine occupied by the European Crusaders.

724 solar years ago, on this day in 1292 AD, English philosopher and Franciscan friar, Roger Bacon, died. His access to the Latin translations of the Arabic works of Islamic scholars enlightened his mind, and he was greatly influenced in the field of optics by the monumental "Kitab al-Manazer" of Abul-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen). The impact of al-Kindi (Alkindus) is also evident in his writings. Moreover, Bacon's investigations of the properties of the magnifying glass show the clear influence of the Iranian Islamic scientist Ibn Sahl's research in dioptrics. His works also indicate his familiarity with the books "Kitab ad‐Dalalaatala'l‐Ittesalaatwa‐Qiranaat al‐Kawakeb"(Book of Indications of the Planetary Conjunctions), written by the Iranian Islamic astronomer, Abu-Ma'sharJa'far ibn Mohammad al-Balkhi.

444 solar years ago, on this day in 1572 AD, English playwright and poet, Ben Jonson was born. Regarded as the second most important English dramatist after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James I, he is best known for the satirical plays “Every Man in His Humour” (1598), “The Foxe” (1605), and “The Alchemist”. There was intense literal rivalry with Shakespeare, and he in fact scoffed at two apparent absurdities in Shakespeare's plays: a nonsensical line in “Julius Caesar”, and the setting of “The Winter's Tale” on the non-existent seacoast of Bohemia. Johnson died in 1637.

201 lunar years ago, on this day in 1236 AH, the prominent Islamic scholar, Mullah Ali AliyariTabrizi, was born in the city of Tabriz, northwestern Iran. He was an expert in theology, hadith, poetry, and literature, as well as in medicine, mathematics, and astronomy. In the holy Najaf Seminary in Iraq, he studied under such prominent figures as Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari, and Mirza Hassan Shirazi. On returning to Iran, he lectured and groomed numerous students. In addition to Islamic sciences, he also taught mathematics and astronomy. He compiled several books on theology and Islamic topics of importance.

161 solar years ago, on this day in 1855 AD, the Sun’s light rays were classified based on scientific approaches and the colors of its spectrum were identified by two German scientists, Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen. The radiation of light beams during rainfall, and formation of rainbows, is one of the beautiful phenomena that have attracted the attention of mankind. The Theory of Aristotle is the oldest one in this regard. Later the Islamic scientists, such as Abu Ali Sina (Avicenna), Abu’l-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), and Qotb od-Din Shirazi developed this field. Finally, Kirchhoff and Bunsen proved it via an experimental method.

157 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD, Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, and 1^stState Chancellor of the Austrian Empire, died at the age of 86. His repressive policies led to unrest across the majority of non-German territories of the Austrian Empire, including Hungary.

56 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, the renowned Islamic scholar, Mirza Mohammad Hussein FazelTouni, passed away in Tehran at the age of 82. Born in the northeastern Iranian town of Ferdows, he was a polymath in theology, principles of theology, philosophy, mysticism, mathematics, astronomy, and Arabic literature. He later served as a professor at Tehran University’s Faculty of Literature, teaching Arabic language and literature as well as philosophy. Among his books are “Hekmat-e Qadim”.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, Ayatollah Shaikh Ali Mushkaf, passed away at the age of 89. After preliminary religious studies in Isfahan, he departed for holy Qom, where he studied under Ayatollah Shaikh Abdul-Karim Ha’eri, Seyyed Mohammad Koh-Kamari, and Seyyed Mohammad TaqiKhwansari. He went to holy Najaf in Iraq where he reached the status of ijtihad. On his return to Iran, he settled in Isfahan. Among the books written by him, mentioned could be made of “Hashiya bar Kifayat al-Usoul.” He also compiled the notes he had taken while studying under such great scholars as Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Ha’eri, Ayatollah Ziya od-Din Iraqi, and Ayatollah Abu’l-Hassan Isfahani.

23 solar years ago, on this day 1993, Iranian diplomat in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, RasoulMontazeri, while providing much needed relief aid to the besieged Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina, was martyred by Croat militias, allied with the Serb chauvinists.

21solar years ago, on this day in 1995 AD, Ayatollah MirzaKazemDinawari, passed away at the age of 93. A product of the Islamic seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, on return to Iran, he was engaged in teaching and grooming students.

20 solar years ago, on this day in 1996 AD, scientists reported the discovery of a new planet near the star Lalande 21185, the 4th closest star to Earth, 8.1 light-years away. The nearest is Proxima Centauri at 4.2 light-years. Analysis of the data indicates that the planet is about the size of Jupiter and revolves around its star every 30-35 years.

5 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, in the Persian Gulf island state of Bahrain, tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators joined the first public rally in months against the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime, as the main opposition party of the long-suppressed Shi’a Muslim majority called on the masses to press ahead for their denied political and birthrights. Bahrain is in the grip of mass popular uprisings that have unnerved the regime which has resorted to torture and killing of innocent people, and the desecration and destruction of mosques and Hussainiyyahs.

AS/SS