Qutun

23rd September 2016

From ‘qutun’ to cotton: The journey

Cotton gets its name from the Arabic word ‘qutun’, which means fine textile or fabric. Archaeologists have found samples of cotton fabric, as old as 7000 years, at the sites of ancient civilizations, such as Mohenjo Daro, Egypt, and Mexico. Nonetheless, it is difficult to determine the exact period or place when cotton was first used for fabric. Around 2500 BC, Indus Valley civilization had begun cultivating cotton. The oldest cotton balls, discovered in Mexican caves, date back to 5500 BC. Cotton cloths have also been found in graves at ancient burial sites during certain excavations.

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4th May 2016

The longest river in the world

The Nile is one of the most interesting rivers of the world owing to the ancient Egyptian civilization, which is known as the ‘Gift of Nile’. The river originates in the well-watered regions of northeastern Africa and proceeds to drain northwards in the Mediterranean Sea. It is known as the world’s longest river. Although different sources provide different measurements of the river, according to some experts it is 6,650 kilometres long.

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21st April 2016

Omar Sharif – actor and prolific bridge player

The globally acclaimed actor Omar Sharif, who acted in films like Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Mackenna’s Gold (1969), was quite a prolific bridge player. Omar Sharif was attracted to the card game of bridge when he was 21 years old. In 1964, he was the captain of the United Arab Republic team at the World Bridge Olympiad. With an aim to promote bridge, he formed the Omar Sharif Bridge Circus in 1968, which extensively toured America and Canada. He quit bridge in 2000.

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15th February 2016

Tap into these largest reservoirs in the world

Lake Volta has been created by the Akosombo Dam over the Volta River in Ghana. It has a surface area of about 8,502 km² (3,275 square miles), making it the largest reservoir in the world by surface area. It is the fourth largest in the world in terms of the volume of water it contains. The first largest is Lake Kariba over the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, the second largest is Bratsk Reservoir over the Angara River in Russia and the third largest is Lake Nasser over the Nile River in Egypt.

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8th February 2016

What are Venetian blinds?

Venetian blinds are made of horizontal flat strips of vinyl joined together by corded pulleys that can either gather all the strips at the top or sides of the window, or simply let them loose to cover the window. The ancient Egyptians use strips of reed to create such blinds. The Chinese used bamboo strips for the same purpose. ‘Venetian’ blinds derive the name from Venice, where the Italian traders brought them from Persia.

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