Latest answers

Latest answers

Saturday, October 24, 2009

325. Wealthy fortunate follower of religion?

He was originally called "Namgyal Wangdi", but as a child his name was changed to one meaning "wealthy-fortunate-follower-of-religion".

His exact date of birth is uncertain, but he knew it was late May from the weather and the crops. Later, he decided to treat 29 May as his birthday, as it was on this date that he performed a momentous feat.

Who? And why 29th May?

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

324. A Jerusalem in Ethiopia?

This town, now a UNESCO world heritage site for its unique rock hewn monolithic churches was named after Saint Gebre Mesqel X, a member of the Zagwe Dynasty, who ruled Ethiopia in the late 12th century and early 13th century. (The saintly king was given this name X due to a swarm of bees said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future reign as Emperor of Ethiopia)

X is said to have seen Jerusalem and then attempted to build a new Jerusalem as his capital in response to the capture of old Jerusalem by Muslims in 1187. As such, many features of the town have Biblical names - even the town's river is known as the River Jordan.

Identify.

Monday, October 19, 2009

323. Party time?

This style of rhythmic music gets its name from the local creole of French meaning 'party' or 'festival'. It traces its origin from the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Haiti, St. Lucia, and Dominica. In Africa, it is popular in francophone and lusophone countries. In Europe, it is particularly popular in France, and in North America in the Canadian province of Quebec.

Which style of music?