Glossary of Arabic toponyms

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Short description: Glossary of Arabic terms found in Arabic toponyms
PEF Survey of Western Palestine Key Map

The glossary of Arabic toponyms gives translations of Arabic terms commonly found as components in Arabic toponyms. A significant number of them were put together during the PEF Survey of Palestine carried out in the second half of the 19th century.


A

'Ain, pl.: `Ayūn, ʿUyūn
Spring, fountain, source.[1] Examples: El Aaiún
Ab, Abu
Father; as a geographical term it signifies "producing", "containing", etc.;[1]
Arak, pl.: Arkan
Cavern or cliff (among various meanings);[1] see All pages with titles containing Arak

B

Bab, pl.: Buwab
Gate.[1] Examples Bab el-Mandeb; see All pages with titles containing Bab
Bahr
Arabic: بحر - Sea, large river.[1] see All pages with titles containing Bahr
Beit
House.[1] see All pages with titles containing Beit
Balad
Arabic: بلد (sometimes transliterated as Beled or Belled) - Town;[1] see All pages with titles containing Balad
Bir
Arabic: بير, Well;[1] see All pages with titles containing Bir
Birkeh
Artificial pool, tank;[1] see All pages with titles containing Birkeh
Buhayra, Baheirah
Arabic: بحيرة, Lake, lagoon;[1] Diminutive of بَحْر (baḥr, “sea”).
Burj
Arabic: برج, Tower, castle;[1] see All pages with titles containing Burj

D

Deir
wikt:دير monastery, convent, cloister (often ruins thereof);[1] see All pages with titles containing Deir
Derb
wikt:درب road, pass;[1] see All pages with titles containing Derb
Dhahr
wikt: ridge;[1] see All pages with titles containing Dhahr

H

Haram
Sacred place;[1] see All pages with titles containing Haram
Haud
Reservoir,[1] pond; see All pages with titles containing Haud

I

Ibn
Son; as a geographical term it signifies "producing", "containing", etc.;[1] see All pages with titles containing Ibn

J

Jama'a, Djama'a, Jami'a
place of gathering, community, mosque;[1]
Jazira, Jezireh, Jeziret
Island;[1]
Jebel, Djebel, Jebal, Jabal
mountain;[1]
Jisr
bridge;[1]
Jubb
(Arabic: جُبّ ): well, pit;[1]

K

Khirbet, Khurbet, Khirbat, etc.
is the conjunctive form "ruin of" (خربة) of the Arabic word for "ruin" (خرب, khirba, kharab ("ruined"))
Kul'ah,[1] Kal'at, Kalat, Kala, Kaleh
Arabic, Persian. See "Qalat"

M

Mazar
مزار: shrine, grave, tomb, etc. cf. "Mazar (mausoleum)". The placename usually refers to a grave of a saint, ruler, etc.. Examples: Mazar-i-Sharif
Mazra', Mazra'a, Al-Mazra'a, Mazraa
مزرعة, mazraʿa: farm, مزرع, mazraʿ: field, farmland, origin for majra, hamlet in Indian subcontinent[2]

N

Nahr
wikt:نهر, river, e.g., Nahr-e Mian; see All pages with titles containing Nahr-e

O

Oued
In North African Arabic, same as Wadi

Q

Qabr, Kabr, pl.:Qubūr
Arabic: قَبْر, pl. Arabic: قُبُور - tomb, grave[1]
Qasr, Kasr, al Qasr, pl.:Qusūr
Arabic: قصر, from Latin castrum The dictionary definition of qasr at Wiktionary
Qal'at, Qalat, Qala, Qalaat, Qal'a
Arabic, Persian. Fortified place, fort, fortress, castle;[3] see All pages with titles containing Qalat

R

Ras
wikt:رأس, head, cape, top, peak, etc.,[1]
Rujm, plural: rujum
wikt:رجم, mound, cairn, hill, spur, and also as "stone heap" or "tumulus".[4][5][1]

U

Umm
Mother; as a geographical term it signifies "producing", "containing", etc.; cf. "Mother of all";[1]

W

Wadi, Wad, North African Arabic: Oued
Watercourse: stream (often intermittent stream), sometimes dry waterbed, valley [1]

See also

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 C.R. Conder; H.H. Kitchener (1880). Map of western Palestine in 26 sheets / from surveys conducted for the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund by C.R. Conder and H.H. Kitchener during the years 1872-1877. London: Ordnance Survey Office. Index sheet (27): Topographical and Geographical Terms in Arabic. OCLC 1166941168. 
  2. Siddiqi 1982, p. 335.
  3. Siddiqi & Bastian 1985, p. 74.
  4. Mann 2005, p. 139
  5. Negev & Gibson 2005, p. 518

Sources

External links

  • The intro to a 1950s gazeteer for 35,000 placenames of Arabian Peninsula and surrounding waters and islands contains a glossary of generic toponymic features

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