Today is Sunday; 21st of the Iranian month of Khordad 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1438 lunar hijri; and June 11, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

3201 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.

2340 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.

1231 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.

975 lunar years ago, on this day in 463 AH, the eminent theologian and jurisprudent, Mohammad Ibn Hassan Ibn Hamza Abu Ya’la al-Ja`fari, passed away in Baghdad. He was a student and later son-in-law of the celebrated scholar, Shaikh Mufid, and traced his lineage to Ja’far at-Tayyar Ibn Abi Taleb, the elder brother of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS). He later became head of the followers of the School of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, groomed many scholars and wrote several books. He is not to be confused with his contemporary, the Iranian scholar Abu Ya'la Hamza Ibn Abdullah Sallar Ibn Abdul-Aziz Daylami, who also studied under Shaikh Mufid in Baghdad and passed away ten days earlier on Ramadhan 6 in the same year. It is worth noting that Abu Ya'la is a common “kunya” (agnomen) in Arabic of persons named Hamza.

725 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‐Dalalaat ala'l‐Ittesalaat wa‐Qiranaat al‐Kawakeb"(Book of Indications of the Planetary Conjunctions), written by the Iranian Islamic astronomer, Abu-Ma'shar Ja'far ibn Mohammad al-Balkhi.

593 lunar years ago, on this day in 845 AH, the renowned Egyptian Shafe'i scholar and historian, Taqi od-Din Ahmad ibn Ali al-Maqrizi, passed away. Though he lived in the Mamluk era, he was an expert in the history of the Ismaili Fatemid Shi'ite dynasty and its role in Egyptian history. In fact, he regarded himself a descendent of the Fatemid caliph, al-Mo'ez le-Dinillah. Born in Cairo, he traveled widely in the Hejaz and Syria, and for a while worked as a judge in the Egyptian capital. Among his works is a book on Egyptian history titled: “as-Solouk le-Ma'refat ad-Dowal wa'l-Molouk" and “Itte'aaz al-Hunafa be Akhbaar al-A'emmat-al-Fatemiyyeen al-Khulafa” (on the history of the Fatemid state).

445 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.

171 lunar years ago, on this day in 1277 AH, the scholar Ayatollah Shaikh Abdur-Rahim Borujerdi, passed away in Mashhad at the age of 85 and was laid to rest in the courtyard of the mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). After preliminary studies in his hometown Boroujerd he went to Iraq for higher studies at the famous seminary of holy Najaf, where his teachers included Ayatollah Shaikh Mohammad Hussain Kashef al-Gheta, Ayatollah Shaikh Mohammad Isfahani, and the celebrated jurisprudent Shaikh Mohammad Hassan Najafi – author of “Jawaher al-Kalaam”. On reaching the status of Ijtehad he taught at the seminaries of Najaf and Karbala, before returning to Iran and settling in the capital Tehran, where his classes attracted a large number of students, including Shaikh Mohammad Hussain Mamaqani, and the celebrated Mirza Hussain Tabarsi Muhaddith Noori, who also became his son-in-law. His fame made the academic elite of Mashhad invite him to their city, where he infused new spirit into the seminary and was eventually appointed as custodian of the Holy Shrine of the 8^th Imam (Astan-e Qods Razawi). He authored several books including “Jawame’ al-Kalaam fi Sharh Qawa’ed al-Ahkaam”, and “Hadiyat ar-Razawiyya” on the norms, merits and virtues of pilgrimage to the 8^th Imam’s shrine.

162 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.

158 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD, Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, and 1^st State 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.

129 lunar years ago, on this day in 1308 AH, the scholar Seyyed Abbas Ibn Seyyed Hussain Taleqani, passed away in holy Najaf, Iraq. He belonged to a family of scholars of the region of Taleqan, northwest of Tehran.

55 lunar years ago, on this day in 1383 AH, Shaikh Mohammad Reza al-Muzaffar passed away at the age of 61 in his hometown holy Najaf, Iraq. A scion of Iraq’s scholarly Aal-e Muzaffar family, after initial studies under his elder brother Shaikh Mohammad Hassan Muzaffar, he attended the classes of such leading scholars of the Najaf seminary, as Ayatollah Mohammad Hussain Na’ini, Ayatollah Ziya od-Din Iraqi, the famous gnostic, Allamah Seyyed Ali Qazi Tabataba'i, Ayatollah Mirza Abdul-Hadi Shirazi, and Ayatollah Shaikh Mohammad Isfahani. He mastered Arabic literature, jurisprudence, logic, philosophy, gnosis, and other subjects. In turn he groomed several scholars such as the famous Arabic orator, Shaikh Ahmad Wa’eli, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Sadr, Seyyed Mohammad Bahr al-Oloum, Seyyed Abdul-Karim Qazvini, Ayatollah Mohammad Mahdi Asefi, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri – the current Head of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Communications Organization. A prolific writer who presented many complicated jurisprudential issues in simplified form to the readers, he authored several books on various subjects, such as “Principles of Jurisprudence”, “The Imamiyyah Creed”, “Philosophy of Imam Ali (AS)”, “History of Islam”, “Biography of Mullah Sadra Shirazi”, and “al-Mantaq” or Logics, which is still taught at seminaries in Iran, Iraq and other places. Shaikh Muzaffar founded several scholarly and cultural institutes, and took important measures for promoting proximity between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims. Following his successful establishment of an elementary school in Najaf for teaching modern courses on the basis of religious culture, he set up a network of such schools in several cities. In 1376 AH (1957), he founded the College of Jurisprudence in Najaf, recognized by the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, for teaching Imamiyya fiqh, comparative jurisprudence, exegesis of the holy Qur’an, hadith, Islamic history, philosophy, Arabic literature, and foreign languages, in addition to modern sciences. He was politically active as well, opposing the Britain’s planting of the illegal Zionist entity in Palestine, supporting the Algerian people’s struggle for independence from France, and condemning the Pahlavi regime of Iran for its anti-Islamic policies, including the exile of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him).

43 solar years ago, on this day in 1974 AD, the founder of the association of guidance and support for blind Iranians, Dr. Mohammad Khaz'ali, passed away. He lost his eyesight in childhood due to contraction of small pox and studied at the school of the blind. Given his strong memory, he excelled in his scientific studies and obtained a PhD in Law at Tehran University. He was fluent in Arabic, French and English. He wrote several books, including the translation titled “The Philosophy of Islam”. He was active in welfare projects for blind people across the globe, serving as member of the Middle East Executive Committee at The National Council for Welfare of the Blind and The International Union of the Blind.

27 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD Hojjat al-Islam Sheikh Ali Mazari was martyred by the enemies of Islam in Sistan-Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran. He started his activities against the Shah’s despotic regime during the Khordad 15 Uprising of June 5, 1963, following the detention of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him). After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he set up cultural associations in mosques to guide youths, and founded numerous schools and libraries in the deprived regions.

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

24 lunar years ago, on this day in 1414 AH, Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Mojtahed Sistani, passed away at the age of 61 in his hometown Mashhad, Khorasan, and was laid to rest in the courtyard of the holy mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Son of Allamah Mohammad Baqer Sistani, he was the younger brother of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani, who is based in holy Najaf, Iraq. He used to lead the congregational prayers at the Vali Asr Mosque, and for nearly three decades held classes on the exegesis of the holy Qur’an and the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt.

21 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.

10 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Iran announced it will help build five new refineries across Asia with a total capacity of 1.1 million barrels per day in a bid to strengthen ties in the region. The countries selected by Iran are China, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Syria.

6 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/ME