Today is Sunday; 1st of the Iranian month of Mordad 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 28th of the Islamic month of Shawwal 1438 lunar hijri; and July 23, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1118 lunar years ago, on this day in 320 AH, the 34-year old Abu Mansur Mohammad was installed as the 19^th caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime in Baghdad with the title “al-Qaher-Billah” by the Turkic slave-guards, who a day earlier had killed his step-brother, Muqtadir-Billah, after a depraved 25-year reign spent in wine, women, music, and singing. He turned out to be more inefficient and cruel than his predecessor. He had his young nephew (a son of Muqtadir) walled up alive, and tortured to death his own step-mother (mother of Muqtadir) in such a cruel manner that she was hanged from her legs with her urine dripping on her face. His tyranny made the Turkic guards remove him after a reign of a year-and-a-half. At night when the caliph was as usual heavily drunk with wine, they burst into his chamber, and when he refused to abdicate, they blinded him, threw him into prison, and set up his nephew, Raadhi (son of Muqtadir) as the new caliph. Eleven years later and after two more caliphs were deposed, he was freed, and till his death 8 years later at the age of 54, he was seen in rags and wooden sandals begging for alms on the streets of Baghdad.

1020 solar years ago, on this day in 997 AD, Nuh II, ruler of the Iranian Samanid Empire of Central Asia died in his capital Bukhara at the age of 34 after a reign of 21 years that saw the gradual decline of the dynasty, as a result of rebellions by refractory governors and encroachment by the Qarakhanid Turks from the north. Shortly after his ascension, the Qarakhanids invaded and captured the upper Zarafshan Valley, where the Samanid silver mines were located. Four years later in 980 they struck again seizing the important trade town of Isfijab (presently in southern Kazakhstan). In the southwest in 982 Nuh II mobilized an army in Khorasan that was initially successfully against the fellow-Iranian Buwaiyhid Empire, but his forces were subsequently crushed. An invasion of Samanid state was prevented only by the sudden death in Baghdad of the powerful Buwaiyhid ruler, Adhud od-Dowla Daylami. In 991, Boghra Khan, the Qarakhanid ruler launched a full-scale invasion of the Samanid Empire, and the next year briefly occupied Bukhara, but his death emboldened Nuh II to retake his capital. The invasion of Transoxania signaled a definitive shift from Iranian to Turkic predominance in Central Asia, although the Qarakhanids became assimilated into the Perso-Arab Muslim culture of the region. In Khorasan, Nuh II’s rewarding of territories to the former Samanid vassal, Sebuktagin and his son Mahmoud of Ghazna, for providing military help against rebellious governors, further weakened the empire. Son and successor of Mansour I, on his death Nuh II was succeeded by his son, Mansour II. The 180-year rule of the Samanid Dynasty saw the birth of modern Persian language and literature in Arabic script, in addition to the patronizing of Arabic language for religious texts.

965 lunar years ago, on this day in 473 AH, the renowned Persian poet and mystic, Majd od-Din ibn Adam Sana'i Ghaznavi, was born in Ghazni in what is now Afghanistan. He was connected with the court of the Ghaznavid king, Bahram Shah, who ruled for 35 years. When accompanying the king on a military campaign to India, Sana'i met the Sufi teacher Lai-Khur, and immediately quit royal service as a court poet even though he was promised wealth and the king's daughter in marriage. He started serving the people and criticized the unjust and corrupt rulers in his poems. He was a trend-setter in the style of Persian poetry. His most important work is “Hadiqat-al-Haqiqah” (Walled Garden of Truth), which is in the form of odes, reflecting his ethical and Gnostic thoughts. Among his other works, one can mention “Ilahi Namah” and “Tareeq at-Tahqeeq”. He has written some excellent panegyrics in praise of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the First Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). For the past nine centuries Sana'i has had a tremendous influence on Persian literature, and along with Shaikh Fareed od-Din Attar, was regarded by Mowlana Jalal od-Din Rumi as an inspiration.

698 solar years ago, on this day in 1319 AD, Knights of the Christian Hospitaller Order won a naval encounter against the Aydinid Turks off the island of Chios in what is now Greece. Founded in 1308 by Aydinoghlu Mohammad Bey on the western coast of modern Turkey on the decline of the Seljuq Sultanate of Roum, the Aydinids, during their century-odd sway until absorption by the expanding Ottoman Empire, were a major naval power and kept the Christian Genoese and Venetian fleets in check in the Aegean Sea. The dynasty that controlled the port of Smyrna (modern Izmir) has left important architectural works, principally in Birgi and Seljuk, its capital cities. The modern city of Aydın was named after the dynasty.

645 solar years ago, on this day in 1372 AD, Krishnaraja of Yijaynagar, whose seizure of the fortress of Mudkul brought about war with the Bahmani Kingdom of Iranian origin of the Deccan in southern India, was decisively defeated by Mohammad Shah I. After being driven all the way to his capital, the Raja begged for peace to persuade the Bahmani Sultan to lift the siege and return to Gulbarga.

196 solar years ago, on this day in 1821 AD, Christian rebels stormed the Monemvasia Castle in the Ottoman Province of “Yunanistan” (as the land known as Greece today was called during almost four centuries of Turkish rule), and massacred over 3,000 Muslims. The rebels, taking advantage of the weakness of the Ottoman Empire, resorted to organized killings of Muslims and destruction of mosques that made the Sultan in Istanbul call on the Egyptian governor, Mohammad Ali Pasha, to crush the rebellion. The Egyptian forces led by the governor’s son, Ibrahim Pasha, arrived in “Yunanistan” and quickly restored order to this Ottoman Province by crushing the rebels. This gave a pretext to Britain, France and Russia to intervene and internationalize the rebellion, which because of direct European military measures forced the Egyptians and Ottomans to retreat by 1830, when as per the London Protocol, a new country with the ancient name of Greece, was created. The Greeks immediately set about the ethnic cleansing of Turks and Muslims through massacres and expulsion, as well as conversion of mosques into Churches, so that today hardly any trace of several centuries of Ottoman rule remains.

177 solar years ago, on this day in 1840 AD, the Province of Canada was created by the British by merging Upper and Lower Canada, following rebellions and fears of breakaway from the crown like the 13 colonies of New England that seceded from London’s rule to set up the United States of America (USA). In 1867 with the inclusion of more British colonies of the remote and almost uninhabited areas of Northern America, the Confederation of Canada was formed, extending from the US borders till the Arctic Circle.

138 solar years ago, on this day in 1879 AD, the acclaimed German Orientologist and Iranologist, Ernst Herzfeld, was born. He was an expert in deciphering the writings and languages of ancient nations, and lectured for several years at Berlin University on the history of Persia and Mesopotamia. He managed to read and translate the cuneiform inscriptions at the ruins of Persepolis. He published almost 190 books, treatises, and articles on the history and language of Iran and the divine religion of Islam. Among his important books, mention can be made of “Iran in the Ancient Times”. He died in 1947.

80 lunar years ago, on this day in 1358 AH, the jurisprudent/philosopher, Ayatollah Seyyed Hassan Badkoubei, passed away in holy Najaf at the age of 65. Born in the Russian occupied Iranian city of Baku (capital of the current Republic of Azerbaijan), after initial studies under his scholarly father, he came to Tehran, where he stayed for seven years learning jurisprudence and philosophy. He then went to holy Najaf in Iraq, where for four fruitful decades, he groomed scholars and wrote books.

72 solar years ago, on this day in 1945 AD, France’s Marshal Henri Petain, who had headed the pro-Nazi Vichy government during World War Two, went on trial, charged with treason. He was condemned to death but his sentence was commuted. He died in prison on this date in 1951.

65 solar years ago, on this day in 1952 AD General Mohammad Najib led the Free Officers Movement (formed by Colonel Jamal Abdun-Nasser, the real power behind the coup) in overthrowing King Farouq and thus ending a century and half rule of the Khedive dynasty of Egypt founded by the Ottoman Albanian General, Mohammad Ali Pasha.

50 solar years ago, on this day in 1967 AD, the 12th Street Riot in Detroit, Michigan, in the predominantly African American inner city, resulted in the death of 43 people, injury to over 2000 others, and homelessness of 5,000 black people. Over 1,400 buildings were burned.

47 solar years ago, on this day in 1970 AD, Qaboos Ibn Sa’id became Sultan of Oman after overthrowing his father, Sa’id Ibn Taimur. Educated at Pune (India) and Britain, he never remarried after divorcing his wife after a brief marriage in the 1970s, nor has he any children.

29 lunar years ago, on this day in 1409 AH, the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) passed away at the age of 87, plunging in grief Iranians, world Muslims and conscientious people throughout the globe. (According to Iranian solar calendar the day was 14^th Khordad, corresponding to June 4 of the Gregorian calendar). He had transformed Iran into a powerful independent country, after inspiring the people to overthrow the British-installed and American-supported Pahlavi regime, thereby shattering big power equations in Iran and the region. A mujtahid and a Gnostic of the highest order, he was exiled for some 14 years for opposing the despotic Shah, before returning home to an unprecedented welcome, to lead the people to victory in February 1979. For the next ten years he ably guided the Islamic Republic of Iran, defeating the conspiracies hatched by Global Arrogance, including the 8-year war the US imposed on Iran through its agent, Saddam of Iraq’s repressive Ba’th minority regime. In addition to grooming prominent scholars, Imam Khomeini has left behind many valuable compilations, including “Tahrir al-Wasilah”, “Mesbah al-Hedaayah” and “Islamic Government”. He gave to the world the dynamic system of “Velayat-e Faqih” or rule of the Supreme Jurisprudent in the absence of the Infallible Imam, pointing out the absurdity of rule by unprincipled and immoral persons, even if democratically elected. His thoughts continue to guide the people of Iran and all conscientious people around the world.

18 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, Morocco's King Hassan II died at the age of 70 after ruling for 38 years. He was a repressive ruler and brutally suppressed any opposition. At the same time, he was over friendly with the enemies of Islam, especially the illegal Zionist entity, despite the claim of his family to be descendents of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS), the elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).  He was succeeded by his son, Mohammad VI.

10 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Mohammad Zaher Shah, the former King of Afghanistan, died as a private citizen in Kabul at the age of 93. In 1973, he was deposed by his cousin, brother-in-law, and former Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan, while in Italy for eye surgery, after a reign of 40 years – having ascended the throne in 1933 on the assassination of his father, the British-installed Mohammad Nader Shah. On his return to Afghanistan in 2002 after an absence of 29 years, Zaher Shah was given the honourary title “Father of the Nation”.

7 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, the largest recorded hailstone in the US fell in Vivian, South Dakota, 20 cm in length, weighing 880 grams and a 47.3 cm circumference. A larger hailstone fell in the Gopalganj District of Bangladesh on 14 April 1986 weighing 1.02 kg that killed 92 people during a hailstorm.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, in Bahrain, the venerable religious leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Abdullah al-Ghoreifi disclosed that agents of the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime have demolished 30 mosques during their so far 5-month-old state terrorism against the long suppressed Shi’ite Muslim majority of that Persian Gulf island state.

One solar year ago, on this day in 2016 AD, over a hundred men, women and children were martyred and three hundred others injured when Saudi-backed Takfiri terrorists triggered two bomb blasts in the Deh Mazang area near Kabul, the Afghan capital, in the path of a peaceful protest march by the Shi’a Muslim Hazara ethnic community, demanding the changing of the TUTAP power project.

AS/MG