The sitar is often credited to the 13th-century poet Amir Khusrau, but historians consider that tradition discredited. The earliest known mention of the sitar appears in the Muraqqa-i-Dehli, written in the 1730s during the reign of Muhammad Shah Rangila, and it likely developed from the small Persian three-stringed setar. Scholars link its modern form to eighteenth-century Mughal musicians, who widened the neck, replaced the wooden bowl with a gourd and added frets and extra strings. The seven-string modern sitar took shape in the nineteenth century, through the work of Allauddin Khan. Claims that it came from ancient Indian veena instruments do not hold up well against the evidence.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.