Quʿaiti sultanate: …was founded when the powerful Quʿaiti tribe arose early in the 19th century, challenging the dominant Kathiri sultanate. The two fought for supremacy in the Ḥaḍramawt until British pressure forced them to make peace in 1918. Both sultanates became part of South Yemen in 1967 (and the unified Yemen in…

Quʿaiti sultanate, former semi-independent state in the southern Arabian Peninsula, in what is now Yemen. It was one of the largest sultanates in the British-ruled Aden Protectorate, the forerunner of independent southern Yemen; its capital was the port of Al-Mukallā. Its territory encompassed a

Quʿaiti sultanate, former semi-independent state in the southern Arabian Peninsula, in what is now Yemen. It was one of the largest sultanates in the British-ruled Aden Protectorate, the forerunner of independent southern Yemen; its capital was the port of Al-Mukallā. Its territory encompassed a

Mecca: City site: …feet, to the east and Mount Quʿayqʿān, which reaches 1,401 feet, to the west. Mount Hirāʾ rises to 2,080 feet on the northeast and contains a cave in which Muhammad sought isolation and visions before he became a prophet. It was also in this cave that he received the first…

QVC, Inc. is an American television network and multimedia retailer; its name stands for quality, value, and convenience. QVC sells retail goods through three television networks (QVC, QVC2, and QVC3), a mobile app, and its website. The company is headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania. QVC

QVC, Inc. is an American television network and multimedia retailer; its name stands for quality, value, and convenience. QVC sells retail goods through three television networks (QVC, QVC2, and QVC3), a mobile app, and its website. The company is headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania. QVC

Qwaqwa, former nonindependent Bantustan, Orange Free State, South Africa, designated for the southern Sotho (often called Basuto) people. Located in a section of the Drakensberg, Qwaqwa was a glen among mountains at elevations from 5,500 feet to more than 10,000 feet (1,675 m to more than 3,050 m).

Kyrgyz Ala Range, mountain range in Central Asia. A western spur of the Tien Shan (“Heavenly Mountains”) system, the range extends westward for approximately 230 miles (370 km) from the Chu River to the Talas River, just east of the city of Taraz, Kazakh. It rises to a height of 15,994 feet (4,875

Qyzylorda, city, south-central Kazakhstan, on the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes River). Originally founded in the early 19th century as the Kokand fort of Ak-Mechet, it was renamed Perovsk after its capture by the Russians in 1853. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 the name of Ak-Mechet was

Kazakhstan: Health and welfare: …Aral Sea, and especially in Qyzylorda (Kzyl-Orda) and Aqtöbe provinces, Kazakhs suffer from the pollution and salinization of the sea. Its waters are contaminated with pesticides, especially DDT, and with chemical fertilizer fed into it by various rivers. The contraction of the Aral Sea has left a toxic dust in…

Kyzylkum Desert, desert in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It has an area of about 115,000 square miles (about 300,000 square km) and lies between two rivers—the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya—southeast of the Aral Sea. It consists of a plain sloping down toward the northwest, with a number of isolated