http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basra The present city was founded in 636 as an encampment and garrison for the Arab tribesmen constituting the armies of amir `Umar ibn al-Khattab, a few kilometres south of the present city, where a tell still marks its site. While defeating the Sassanid forces there, the Muslim commander Utbah ibn Ghazwan first set up camp there on the site of an old Persian settlement called Vaheštābād Ardašīr, which was destroyed by the Arabs. The name Al-Basrah, which in Arabic means "the over watching" or "the seeing everything", was given to it because of its role as a military base against the Sassanid empire. Other sources however say its name originates from the Persian word Bas-rāh or Bassorāh meaning "where many ways come together". Seljuk period The Great Friday Mosque was constructed in Basra. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Mosque_of_Samarra.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarra Samarra is a key city in Salahaddin province, a major part of the so-called Sunni Triangle where insurgents have been active since shortly after 2003 invasion by the United States of America. Though Samarra is famous for its Shi'a holy sites, including the tombs of several Shi'a Imams, the town is dominated by Sunnis. This has caused tensions, particularly since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On February 22, 2006, the golden dome of the al-Askari Mosque was destroyed by bombs, setting off a period of rioting and reprisal attacks across the country which claimed hundreds of lives. No organizations have claimed responsibility. On June 13, 2007, suspected al-Qa'eda insurgents attacked the mosque again and destroyed the two minarets that flanked the dome's ruins. On July 12, 2007 the clock tower was blown up. No fatalities were reported. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for peaceful demonstrations and three days of mourning. He stated that he believed no Sunni Arab could have been behind the attack. The mosque compound and minarets had been closed since the 2006 bombing. An indefinite curfew was placed on the city by the Iraqi police.[5][6] al-Askari mosque after the first attack. For centuries, people from the seven tribes of Samarra have guarded the shrine. These guards are called "gayaameen" in Arabic. 'Appointment in Samarra' The metaphor of "Having an appointment in Samarra", signifying death, is a rare literary reference to a short story of unknown origin transcribed by W. Somerset Maugham. The story was titled 'The Appointment in Samarra', and subsequently formed the germ of the novel Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara. The original story was re-told in verse by F. L. Lucas in his poem 'The Destined Hour' in From Many Times and Lands (1953). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_turban A Dastar (Punjabi: ਦਸਤਾਰ, dastār, from Persian: دستار) or Pagṛi (Punjabi: ਪਗੜੀ) is a mandatory headgear for Sikhs. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354503/ Director: C.V. Sridhar Bharat (Rajendra Kumar) is a patriotic young man for whom patriotism does not stop anywhere. He comes to know of the tyrancy of the present ruler's Diwan (Ajit) and he and his colleagues (Soodesh Kumar, Rajendra Nath) rebel. They kidnap Princess Chitralekha (Waheeda Rehman) unknowingly, and call her Jwala. Meanwhile, Bharat's dad (Balraj Sahni) who is the Inspector General, does not approve of Bharat's rebellious nature and decides to arrest him on sight. Bharat's mom (Kamini Kaushal) is torn between the love for her husband and her son. Bharat determination against the Diwan is so strong that he decides to bomb-blast a railway train transporting the Diwan, knowingly that his own dad is also travelling on that train. Will Bharat break his mom's heart by killing his dad and the Diwan? Good acting scores by the entire caste make this movie worth watching. Lyrics by Indivar.

• published: 10 Jan 2012
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