Glossary of 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
Baḥr
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
Buḥayra, Baḥeirah
Arabic: بحيرة, Lake, lagoon;[1] Diminutive of بَحْر (baḥr, “sea”).
Burj
Arabic: برج, Tower, castle;[1] see All pages with titles containing Burj

C

Casbah
a kind of medina (old city) or fortress; cf. "Qasba"; see All pages with titles containing Casbah

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] 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] see All pages with titles containing Jisr
Jubb
(Arabic: جُبّ ): well, pit;[1] see All pages with titles containing Jubb

K

Kasbah, Kasba, Kasaba
See Qasba
Khirbet, Khurbet, Khirbat, etc.
is the conjunctive form "ruin of" (خربة) of the Arabic word for "ruin" (خرب, khirba, kharab ("ruined"))
Ksar, qsar, plural: ksour, qsour
Maghrebi Arabic; See "Qasr"
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; see All pages with titles containing Oued

Q

Qabr, Kabr, pl.:Qubūr
Arabic: قَبْر, pl. Arabic: قُبُور - tomb, grave[1]
Qal'at, Qalat, Qala, Qalaat, Qal'a
Arabic, Persian. Fortified place, fort, fortress, castle;[3] see All pages with titles containing Qalat
Casbah, Kasbah, Qaṣba, Qaṣbah, Qaṣaba
Arabic: القصبة, romanized: al-qaṣaba), a kind of medina (old city) or fortress
Qaṣr, Kaṣr, al-Qaṣr, pl.:Quṣūr
Arabic: قصر, lit. 'palace/castle/fortress', from Latin castrum The dictionary definition of qasr at Wiktionary

R

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

S

souk, sūq, souq
wikt:سوق, "market"

U

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

W

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

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab 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

  • 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