Comédie-Française, national theatre of France and the world’s longest established national theatre. After the death of the playwright Molière (1673), his company of actors joined forces with a company playing at the Théâtre du Marais, the resulting company being known as the Théâtre Guénégaud. In

Ahmed Sefrioui: A second novel, La Maison de servitude (1973; “The House of Servitude”), deals with the conflict raised by the demands of the Islamic faith and of poetry, love, and revolution.

Rhône-Poulenc SA, former French chemical manufacturer and leading producer of organic chemicals, synthetic fibres, and pharmaceuticals. It merged with Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft in 1999 to create the French-German pharmaceutical firm Aventis. The company originated as a dyestuffs manufacturer in

Gorée Island: The Maison des Esclaves (“Slave House”), which was constructed in 1786, includes displays of slavery artifacts, and the Fort d’Estrées (built in the 1850s) is the site of a historical museum. There are also museums of women’s history and of the sea. In 1978 Gorée Island…

Victor, Baron Horta: His chief work is the Maison du Peuple, Brussels (1896–99), which was the first structure in Belgium to have a largely iron and glass facade. In its auditorium the iron roof beams are both structural and decorative.

French literature: Politics subordinate to other concerns: Mauriac, Bernanos, and others: …Guilloux in his autobiographical novel, La Maison du peuple (1927; “The House of the People”). Guilloux’s Le Sang noir (1935; Bitter Victory) is an even bleaker depiction of provincial life, as experienced by a schoolmaster. In Les Hommes de bonne volonté (1932–46; Men of Good Will) the Unanimist Jules Romains…

Brussels: City layout: …its north by the ornate King’s House (Maison du Roi/Broodhuis; almost entirely rebuilt during 1873–95), which contains the Brussels City Museum. The area surrounding the Grand’ Place, known as the Îlot Sacré (“Sacred Isle”), includes the late 19th-century Stock Exchange. Perhaps the most famous curiosity of this quarter is the…

education: Female education: …a school in 1686 at Saint-Cyr near Versailles—a higher school principally for orphan girls descended from noble families. Besides such basic subjects as reading and writing, the girls were prepared for their future lives as wives and mothers or as members of genteel professions. In 1692 this school was taken…

Anouk Aimée: …appearance at age 14 in La Maison sous la mer (1946; “The House on the Sea”), in which her character was named Anouk. After making an impression as a Juliet figure in Les Amants de Vérone (1949; The Lovers of Verona), a role written especially for her by Jacques Prévert…

Guy de Maupassant: Mature life and works of Guy de Maupassant: La Maison Tellier (1881; “The Tellier House”), a book of short stories on various subjects, is typical of Maupassant’s achievement as a whole, both in his choice of themes and in his determination to present men and women objectively in the manifold aspects of life.…

taxidermy: …of such commercial houses as Maison Verreaux in Paris, founded by a naturalist and explorer, which furnished great numbers of exhibits to museums. The influence of Verreaux was superseded by that of Ward’s Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, N.Y., where a group of young enthusiasts, notably Carl Akeley (q.v.), devoted…

Dominique Rolin: The monologues of La Maison, la forêt (1965; “The House, the Forest”) offer a bleak, Samuel Beckett-like vision of elderly parents, and Maintenant (1967; “Now”) focuses on the mother figure. In both Le Corps (1969; “The Body”) and Les Eclairs (1971; “The Flashes”) Rolin investigates the time-space coordinates…

Maison-Carrée, Roman temple at Nîmes, France, in remarkably good repair. According to an inscription, it was dedicated to Lucius and Gaius Caesar, adopted sons of Augustus; it was probably built before the death of Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’s friend and the boys’ father, about 12 bc. The

Antoine Héroët was a Renaissance court poet whose works are representative of the amalgam of Platonism and Christian humanism that produced the modern concept of Platonic love. A member of the court surrounding Margaret of Angoulême, sister of Francis I and later queen of Navarre, Héroët is chiefly

Montreal: Early settlement: …named Ville-Marie by its founder, Paul de Chomedey, sieur (lord) de Maisonneuve, in May 1642. He built dwellings, a chapel, a hospital, and other structures, protecting the settlement against Indian attack with a stockade. Indeed, the community was under constant attack from the Iroquois, who were aligned with the British…

François Mansart: The château of Maisons.: …château of Maisons (now called Maisons-Laffitte, in the chief town of the département of Yvelines) is unique in that it is the only building by Mansart in which the interior decoration (graced particularly by a magnificent stairway) survives. The symmetrical design of the building (as well as the mansard roof)…

Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy, important figure in the Jansenist religious movement in France, a member of the Arnauld family

Joseph Kimhi was a European grammarian, biblical exegete, and poet who, with his sons, Moses and David, made fundamental contributions to establishing Hebrew-language studies. Through his many translations into Hebrew of works written in Arabic by Spanish Jews, Kimhi came to play a principal part

David Kimhi was a European scholar of the Hebrew language whose writings on Hebrew lexicography and grammar became standard works in the Middle Ages and whose reputation eclipsed that of both his father, Joseph Kimhi, and his brother, Moses, a grammarian. As a boy David Kimhi learned his father’s

Antoine Le Maistre, important figure in the Jansenist religious movement in France, a member of the Arnauld family

Casimir-Léon Maistre was a French soldier and explorer who took part in the first thorough European exploration of Madagascar and led expeditions into previously unexplored regions of Central Africa, thereby extending French influence there. After serving as second in command of a French mission

Joseph de Maistre was a French polemical author, moralist, and diplomat who, after being uprooted by the French Revolution in 1789, became a great exponent of the conservative tradition. Maistre studied with the Jesuits and became a member of the Savoy Senate in 1787, following the civil career of

World War I: The Western Front, June–December 1917: In October General P.-A.-M. Maistre’s 10th Army, in the Battle of Malmaison, took the ridge of the Chemin des Dames, north of the Aisne to the east of Soissons, where the front in Champagne joined the front in Picardy south of the Somme.

Portuguese literature: Drama and the novel: Laurence Sterne and French author Xavier de Maistre. Many, however, preferred to follow the lead of Herculano, including Oliveira Marreca, Arnaldo Gama, and Pinheiro Chagas. Popular successes among historical novels were A mocidade de D. João V (1852; “The Youth of D. João V”) by Luís António Rebelo da Silva…

Lorenzo Maitani was an Italian architect and sculptor primarily responsible for the construction and decoration of the facade of Orvieto Cathedral. Maitani established his reputation in Siena and was called to supervise the construction at Orvieto in 1308 when the unprecedented height and span of

Maitengwe River, river in southern Africa that rises southwest of Bulawayo, Zimb., and flows generally westward, forming the Botswana-Zimbabwe border. In northeastern Botswana it joins with the Tutumi River to form the Nata River, northeast of the Makgadikgadi

Maithil Brahman, caste of Brahmans in Bihār, India (the area of the ancient kingdom of Mithilā), well known for their orthodoxy and interest in learning. The names of these Brahmans are usually followed by the appellation Miśra; many great scholars have been members of this caste, notably Vācaspati

Maithili language, with Magadhi (Magahi) and Bhojpuri, one of the three main languages of Bihar state. It is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-European language family. Maithili is the language of old Mithila (the area of ancient Videha, now Tirhut), which is dominated by orthodoxy and the Maithil

Buddhism: Origins: The second phase is the maithuna, or sexual coupling. Unlike the ordinary sexual act, which gives only momentary pleasure, the maithuna is considered a technique to attain enlightenment and eternal bliss because the initiate has already realized the voidness of all things, allowing perfect control over emotions and a complete…

Julio Herrera y Reissig: Los maitines de la noche (1902; “The Matins of the Night”) and Poemas violetas (1906; “Violet Poems”), among other volumes, were recognized by critics for their vividly imaginative evocation of commonplace scenes of everyday life as well as for their innovative use of language. Although…

Maitland, city, eastern New South Wales, Australia, in the Hunter River valley. It is located on the New England Highway, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Newcastle. Founded as a settlement for convicts (1818–21), it was called in turn The Camp, Molly Morgan Plains, and Wallis Plains. A second

Sir Richard Maitland, Lord Lethington: …by the foundation of the Maitland Club in 1828 to continue such study.

Sir Richard Maitland, Lord Lethington: …Scottish poetry known as the Maitland Folio MS. (begun about 1570), and his daughter added others while she compiled the smaller anthology called the Maitland Quarto MS. (1586). The 183 leaves of the folio and the 138 leaves of the quarto also contain a selection of works by Robert Henryson,…

William Maitland was a Scottish statesman and staunch supporter of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. In the conflict between Scotland’s Protestant nobility and the Roman Catholic Mary, Maitland often defied the queen when her actions threatened to undermine her chances of remaining in power. His

Sir Richard Maitland, Lord Lethington: …the smaller anthology called the Maitland Quarto MS. (1586). The 183 leaves of the folio and the 138 leaves of the quarto also contain a selection of works by Robert Henryson, William Dunbar, Gavin Douglas, and other important poets of the period. Maitland’s service to Scottish history and literature was…

Frederic William Maitland was an English jurist and historian of English law whose special contribution was to bring historical and comparative methods to bear on the study of English institutions. Educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge, Maitland studied law at Lincoln’s Inn, London,

James Maitland, 8th earl of Lauderdale was a Scottish politician and economic writer. Lauderdale was educated at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He was elected to the House of Commons (1780, 1784) where, in spite of his abilities, he ran into difficulties due to his volatile temper. He

John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland was the lord chancellor of Scotland from 1587 to 1595 and chief adviser to King James VI (later James I of Great Britain and Ireland). His father was the poet and statesman Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington, East Lothian, and his brother, William Maitland, was a

John Maitland, duke of Lauderdale was one of the chief ministers of King Charles II of England (reigned 1660–85); he earned notoriety for his repressive rule in Scotland during Charles II’s reign. The son of a Scottish lord, Maitland signed the Solemn League and Covenant (1643), pledging to protect

Orillia: …or “bank”), was suggested by Sir Peregrine Maitland, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada (1818–28), who had served in Spain. The town site was surveyed in 1839, a few years after an earlier settlement called The Narrows had been established. Orillia Corporation built the first municipally owned hydroelectric plant in Canada…

Sir Richard Maitland, Lord Lethington was a Scottish poet, lawyer, statesman, and compiler of one of the earliest and most important collections of Scottish poetry. “Manly Maitland,” as he was called in an epitaph, was the son of Sir William Maitland of Lethington. He studied law at the University

William Maitland was a Scottish statesman and staunch supporter of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. In the conflict between Scotland’s Protestant nobility and the Roman Catholic Mary, Maitland often defied the queen when her actions threatened to undermine her chances of remaining in power. His

algae: Toxicity: …other algal toxins, ciguatoxin and maitotoxin are concentrated in finfish rather than shellfish. Levels as low as one part per billion in fish can be sufficient to cause human intoxication.

Maitraka dynasty, Indian dynasty that ruled in Gujarat and Saurashtra (Kathiawar) from the 5th to the 8th century ce. Its founder, Bhatarka, was a general who, taking advantage of the decay of the Gupta empire, established himself as ruler of Gujarat and Saurashtra with Valabhi (modern Vala) as his

Jan van Scorel was a Dutch humanist, architect, engineer, and painter who established the painting style of the Italian Renaissance in Holland, just as his teacher Jan Gossaert did in Brussels. Scorel studied with several local artists, but by 1517 he was in Utrecht working with Gossaert, who

France: The growth of a professional bureaucracy: There were also masters of requests (maîtres de requêtes), lawyers whose expertise was invaluable when the council sat in a judicial capacity. But in the council the professional element that assumed the greatest significance in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries was the holders of the…

Severo Sarduy: Maitreya) opens in Tibet, but the characters, in search of a messiah, travel to Cuba and the United States, then end up in Iran. Colibrí (1982; “Hummingbird”) is a book about the South American jungle, and El Cristo de la rue Jacob (1987; Christ on…

Maitreya, in Buddhist tradition, the future Buddha, presently a bodhisattva residing in the Tushita heaven, who will descend to earth to preach anew the dharma (“law”) when the teachings of Gautama Buddha have completely decayed. Maitreya is the earliest bodhisattva around whom a cult developed and

maitrī, (Sanskrit), in Buddhism, the perfect virtue of sympathy. See

Bhilai: The Maitri Bagh (“Garden of Friendship”), established as a symbol of Indian-Soviet cooperation, is located near the Maroda water tanks (at the steel plant) and includes a zoo. Pop. (2001) city, 556,366; urban agglom., 927,864; (2011) city, 625,700; urban agglom., 1,064,222.

Pompeii: History of excavations: …intensive excavation was resumed under Amedeo Maiuri, who was in charge of the excavations from 1924 to 1961. Large areas were uncovered to the south of the Via dell’Abbondanza, in Regions I and II, and the debris piled outside the city walls was cleared away. This revealed the Porta (Gate)…

Nicaragua: Drainage: …and the 37-mile- (60-km-) long Maíz River.

Corn Islands, islands located in the Caribbean Sea, Nicaragua. Great and Little Corn islands lie 50 and 59 miles (80 and 95 km), respectively, east-northeast of Bluefields. The islands were leased to the United States by Nicaragua under the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty, signed in 1914 and ratified in

corn, (Zea mays), cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as livestock feed, as human food, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry. Corn

cornstarch, substance produced through wet milling of corn (Zea mays). Wet milling separates the components of corn kernels, which consist primarily of protein, fibre, starch, and oil. Once separated, the starch is dried, forming a white powder called cornstarch. Cornstarch is high in carbohydrates

Philippe de Mézières was a French nobleman and author who championed Crusades to reconquer the kingdom of Jerusalem. Born of poor nobility, Mézières was at first a soldier of fortune in Italy, serving Lucchino Visconti, lord of Milan, and then Andrew of Hungary, in Naples. Joining the Crusade led

Jacqueline Woodson: Writing career: …second book in the series, Maizon at Blue Hill (1992), follows Maizon to boarding school, where she is one of the few Black girls at the otherwise all-white institution. The series’ last book, Between Madison and Palmetto (1993), returns to Margaret and Maizon’s relationship after Maizon comes home from boarding…

Maizuru, city, northern Kyōto fu (urban prefecture), west-central Honshu, Japan. It faces Wakasa Bay, an embayment of the Sea of Japan (East Sea). The city—then called Tanabe—developed around a castle built during the Muromachi period (1338–1573). It has one of the best natural ports on the Sea of

Nakamura Nakazo III was a Kabuki actor who specialized in playing villains. He was the son of a female dancer of the Shigayama school and began his career performing at the Nakamura-za (Nakamura Theatre). His 1853 performance of Komori Yasu in Yowa nasake ukina no yokogushi was so widely acclaimed

Máj circle: …published in an almanac called Máj (1858; “May”) after the lyrical epic poem of the same name by Karel Hynek Mácha, whom the group regarded as the forerunner of their literary revolution.

Karel Hynek Mácha: …the lyrical epic Máj (1836; May). Coldly received at the time of its publication, May exercised an almost magical fascination on Czech poets and critics of the 20th century. Mácha’s letters and diaries are an essential supplement and background to his poetry.

Máj circle, group of young Czech writers of the mid-19th century whose aim was to create a new Czech literature that would reflect their liberalism and practical nationalism. They published in an almanac called Máj (1858; “May”) after the lyrical epic poem of the same name by Karel Hynek Mácha,

The Naked Maja, oil painting created about 1795–1800 by influential Spanish artist Francisco Goya. This famously controversial painting, known in Spanish as La maja desnuda, is considered one of the artist’s masterpieces. It is likely that Goya painted The Naked Maja for Manuel de Godoy, nobleman

spider crab: Maja squinado, which attains lengths of 18 cm (7 inches), is found in the Mediterranean Sea and along the southwest coast of Europe.

Yisrael Beiteinu: Foundation and early history: …Israel’s first Muslim Arab minister, Raleb Majadele, as minister of science and technology. Yisrael Beiteinu’s criticism of the appointment drew a heated reaction, and some called for the expulsion of Yisrael Beiteinu from Olmert’s coalition government over the matter. In January 2008, however, Yisrael Beiteinu resigned of its own accord…

Czechoslovak history: The growing reform movement: …the traditional student festival, the Majáles, in 1966 became a riot against the regime. Then in 1967, dissatisfied with the conditions in their dormitories, students gathered in the streets demanding “more light.” The party felt challenged and sent in the police. In the end the minister of the interior apologized…

Majapahit empire, the last Indianized kingdom in Indonesia, based in eastern Java and existing between the 13th and 16th centuries. The founder of the empire was Vijaya, a prince of Singhasari who escaped when Jayakatwang, the ruler of Kaḍiri, seized the palace. In 1292 Mongol troops came to Java

Jendouba: …alluvial plain of the middle Majardah valley, a hot, dry region conducive to the cultivation of grains. Pop. (2004) 43,997.

Wadi Majardah, main river of Tunisia and the country’s only perennially flowing stream. Wadi Majardah rises in northeastern Algeria in the Majardah (Mejerda) Mountains and flows northeastward for 290 miles (460 km) to the Gulf of Tunis, draining an area of about 8,880 square miles (23,000 square

Baltic religion: Forest and agricultural deities: …cared for by the Latvian Mājas gars (“Spirit of the House”; Lithuanian Kaukas), which lives in the hearth. Similarly, other farm buildings have their own patrons—Latvian Pirts māte (“Mother of the Bathhouse”) and Rijas māte (“Mother of the Threshing House”); Lithuanian Gabjauja.

Ashkelon, city on the coastal plain of Palestine, since 1948 in southwestern Israel. The modern city lies 12 miles (19 km) north of Gaza and 1.25 miles (2 km) east-northeast of the ancient city site. Because of its location on the Mediterranean coast, Ashkelon was traditionally the key to the

Majdanek, Nazi German concentration camp and extermination camp on the southeastern outskirts of the city of Lublin, Poland. In October 1941 it received its first prisoners, mainly Soviet prisoners of war, virtually all of whom died of hunger and exposure. Within a year, however, it was converted

Majdanpek, town, northeastern Serbia. It lies along the Pek River in the Homoljske Mountains. Majdanpek has been an important mining centre since Roman times, when gold was mined. By the 20th century, iron and copper were the most important minerals. Discovery of new copper deposits in the 1960s

Indonesia: Constitutional framework: …every five years by the People’s Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat; MPR), but in that year a new law decreed that beginning in 2004 both leaders were to be directly elected. In addition, legislation passed in 1999 limited the president to two five-year terms.

Arthur Schopenhauer: Active maturity: …that same winter the Orientalist Friedrich Majer, a disciple of Johann Gottfried Herder, introduced him to the teachings of Indian antiquity—the philosophy of Vedānta and the mysticism of the Vedas (Hindu scriptures). Later, Schopenhauer considered that the Upaniṣads (philosophic Vedas), together with Plato and Kant, constituted the foundation on which…

Defenestration of Prague: …liberty laid down in the Letter of Majesty (Majestätsbrief) of Emperor Rudolf II (1609).

Defenestration of Prague: …liberty laid down in the Letter of Majesty (Majestätsbrief) of Emperor Rudolf II (1609).

Majestic Prince, (foaled 1966), American racehorse (Thoroughbred) who in 1969 won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but lost at the Belmont Stakes, ending his bid for the coveted Triple Crown of American horse racing. As a yearling, Majestic Prince was sent to California to be trained by

majesty, awe-inspiring greatness, particularly seen as an attribute of divine or sovereign power. The ancient Romans spoke of the majesty (maiestas) of the republic or of the Roman people, violation of which entailed a charge “of injured majesty,” crimen laesae maiestatis (that is, lèse-majesté or

Defenestration of Prague: …liberty laid down in the Letter of Majesty (Majestätsbrief) of Emperor Rudolf II (1609).

Tanzania: German East Africa: …administration, the outbreak of the Maji Maji uprising in 1905. Although there was little organization behind it, the uprising spread over a considerable portion of southeastern Tanganyika and was not finally suppressed until 1907. It led to a reappraisal of German policy in East Africa. The imperial government had attempted…

Niger: Relief: …the rocky Adar Doutchi and Majia areas; it is the region of the gulbi (dried-up valleys of former tributaries of the Sokoto River) and the Tegama—a tableland of sandstone, ending, toward the Aïr, at the Tiguidit scarp. To the east the underlying rock reappears in the Damagarim, Mounio, and Koutous…

China: 5th millennium bce: …Hemudu culture was that of Majiabang, which had close ties with the Qingliangang culture in southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, and Shanghai. In southeastern China a cord-marked pottery horizon, represented by the site of Fuguodun on the island of Quemoy (Kinmen), existed by at least the early 5th millennium. The suggestion…

China: 4th and 3rd millennia bce: …succeeded by a variety of Majiayao cultures (late 4th to early 3rd millennium) in eastern Gansu, eastern Qinghai, and northern Sichuan. About one-third of Majiayao vessels were decorated on the upper two-thirds of the body with a variety of designs in black pigment; multiarmed radial spirals, painted with calligraphic ease,…

spider crab, any species of the decapod family Majidae (or Maiidae; class Crustacea). Spider crabs, which have thick, rather rounded bodies and long, spindly legs, are generally slow-moving and sluggish. Most are scavengers, especially of dead flesh. Majids, a widely distributed marine group, are

Sir John Kirk: …the interests of Zanzibar’s Sultan Mājid and his successor, Barghash, with whom he concluded an antislavery treaty in 1873. Although he induced the British government to discourage Egyptian expansion along the East African coast (1875), he could not persuade the British government to defend the sultan when the Germans began…

spider crab, any species of the decapod family Majidae (or Maiidae; class Crustacea). Spider crabs, which have thick, rather rounded bodies and long, spindly legs, are generally slow-moving and sluggish. Most are scavengers, especially of dead flesh. Majids, a widely distributed marine group, are

history of film: Iran: …Circle), and Offside (2006), and Majid Majidi, director of Bachela-Ya aseman (1997; Children of Heaven),Rang-e khoda (1999; The Color of Heaven),Bid-e majnun (2005; The Willow Tree), and Mohammed Rasulollah (2015; Muhammad: The Messenger of God).

Korea: The emergence of provincial magnates: …the Later Baekje (892) and Later Goguryeo (also called Majin or Taebong; 901) kingdoms. Together with Silla, they are commonly referred to as the Later Three Kingdoms. In this period Seon (Zen) Buddhism was most popular, with its emphasis on the importance of realizing, through contemplation, the inborn Buddha nature…

Sutta Pitaka: Majjhima Nikaya (“Medium [Length] Collection”; Sanskrit Madhyamagama), 152 suttas, some of them attributed to disciples, covering nearly all aspects of Buddhism. Included are texts dealing with monastic life, the excesses of asceticism, the evils of caste, Buddha’s debates with the Jains, and meditation, together with…

Middle Way, in Buddhism, complement of general and specific ethical practices and philosophical views that are said to facilitate enlightenment by avoiding the extremes of self-gratification on one hand and self-mortification on the other. See Eightfold

Council of Guardians: …Council and appointed by the Majles (parliament). The Council of Guardians reviews all legislation passed by the Majles to determine its constitutionality. If a majority of the council does not find a piece of legislation in compliance with the constitution or if a majority of the council’s Islamic canon lawyers…

Council of Guardians: …Council and appointed by the Majles (parliament). The Council of Guardians reviews all legislation passed by the Majles to determine its constitutionality. If a majority of the council does not find a piece of legislation in compliance with the constitution or if a majority of the council’s Islamic canon lawyers…

Bahrain: Constitutional framework: …and Islamic system of a majlis (council), through which citizens and other residents presented petitions directly to the emir. In 1993 the emir created the Consultative Council, to which the first women were appointed in 2000.

Maldives: Constitutional framework: The unicameral legislature, called the People’s Majlis, meets at least three times per year. Its members are elected to five-year terms from Male island and from each of the 20 atoll groups into which the country is divided for administrative purposes. The number of representatives from each administrative division is…

Iraq: Constitutional framework: …on the issue of the Council of Union, the structure, duties, and powers of which apparently will be left to later legislation. The constitution only notes that this body will include representatives of the regions and governorates, suggesting that it will likely take the form of an upper house.

Iraq: Constitutional framework: …for two deliberative bodies, the Council of Representatives (Majlis al-Nawwāb) and the Council of Union (Majlis al-Ittiḥād). The judiciary is free and independent of the executive and the legislature.

Oman: Constitutional framework: …replaced in 1991 by a Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shūrā), members of which were at first appointed and later elected from several dozen districts (wilāyāt); women from a few constituencies were given the right to serve on the council. In 1996 the sultan announced the establishment of the Basic Law of…

Qatar: Constitutional framework: …ruled in consultation with a Council of Ministers (Majlis al-Wuzarāʾ) and an appointed Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shūrā). A new constitution, which was approved by referendum in 2003 and enacted in 2005, provided for the popular election of two-thirds of the members of the Advisory Council.

Kuwait: Early settlers: …of the uprising, called the Majlis Movement, Iraq continued to put forth a claim to at least part of Kuwait, notably the strategic islands of Būbiyān and Al-Warbah.