Portal:Asia/2006 Did you know archive



September

...that one of the first specimens of homo erectus, dubbed Peking Man, was found in a cave system called Zhoukoudian near Beijing in China? ...that the Shivneri Fort near Pune, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, was the birthplace of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire? ...that the Israeli agora was first used in 1960 and has recently been a significant subject of controversy in the Middle East? ...that Kuchum was the last khan of the Siberian Khanate, one of the four separate Khanates after the Golden Horde broke up? ...that Alam Ara (The Light of the World), a 1931 film directed by Ardeshir Irani, was the first Indian film with sound?

October

...that Murasaki Shikibu is a Japanese author who wrote The Tale of Genji, one of the earliest known novels in history? ...that the Siege of Kut in present-day Iraq resulted in a decisive victory for the Ottoman Empire against the British? ...that the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) and the Singapore International Monetary Exchange (SIMEX) merged together in 1999 to form the Singapore Exchange (SGX)? ...that Ismail I was the founder of the Safavid dynasty? ...that the Charyapadas, Buddhist poems from eastern India, were discovered by Harprashad Sastri at the Nepal Royal Court Library in 1907?

November

...that the Constitution of Singapore cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of the members of parliament on the second and third readings? ...that the morin khuur is a chordophone of Mongolian origin? ...that the traditional Afghan men's hat is known as a Pakul ? ...that the Taal Volcano is an active volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines? ...that Dhofar is a region that lies in Southern Oman and on the eastern border of Yemen?

December

...that Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi gave the first accurate explanation for the formation of a rainbow? ...that family registers are known as Koseki in Japan? ...that the first head of the House of Saud was Muhammad bin Saud ? ...that Fataluku is a language commonly used on the eastern part of East Timor? ...that Guozijian was the national central institute of learning in Chinese dynasties after the Sui Dynasty?