Maghreb toponymy
Encyclopedia
The place names of the Maghreb
come from a variety of origins, mostly Arabic
and Berber, but including a few derived from Phoenician
, Latin
, and several other languages. This is well illustrated by the three largest cities of Algeria
, for instance: Algiers
from Arabic al-jazā'ir "the islands", Oran
from Wahran from berber wa-iharan "place of lions" and Constantine
(Arabic Qasantina قسنطينة) from the Latin name of the emperor Constantine. For a Phoenician name, one has to look a little harder; but take, for instance, Jijel
, shortened from Latin Igilgili, from Phoenician i gilgilt "Island of the Skull" (according to Lipinski.)
Given the fact that Arabs founded very few cities in the regions they conquered, a large portion of cities in so-called Arab countries have non-Arab etymologies. Many places, however, have had their names changed and "Arabized." Morocco, for instance, has only one Arab-founded city, Fez. For that reason, a majority of the Moroccan towns have Berber names.
The following toponymic elements are common in place names in the Maghreb:
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
come from a variety of origins, mostly Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Berber, but including a few derived from Phoenician
Phoenician languages
Phoenician was a language originally spoken in the coastal region then called "Canaan" in Phoenician, Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic, "Phoenicia" in Greek and Latin, and "Pūt" in Ancient Egyptian. Phoenician is a Semitic language of the Canaanite subgroup; its closest living relative is Hebrew, to...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and several other languages. This is well illustrated by the three largest cities of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, for instance: Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
from Arabic al-jazā'ir "the islands", Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
from Wahran from berber wa-iharan "place of lions" and Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
(Arabic Qasantina قسنطينة) from the Latin name of the emperor Constantine. For a Phoenician name, one has to look a little harder; but take, for instance, Jijel
Jijel
Jijel is the capital of Jijel Province in northeastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne, and has an estimated population of 148,000 inhabitants .Jijel is the administrative and trade centre for a region specializing in cork processing, leather...
, shortened from Latin Igilgili, from Phoenician i gilgilt "Island of the Skull" (according to Lipinski.)
Given the fact that Arabs founded very few cities in the regions they conquered, a large portion of cities in so-called Arab countries have non-Arab etymologies. Many places, however, have had their names changed and "Arabized." Morocco, for instance, has only one Arab-founded city, Fez. For that reason, a majority of the Moroccan towns have Berber names.
The following toponymic elements are common in place names in the Maghreb:
- agadirAgadirAgadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, granary, wall - aghbal أغبال, spring.
- adrarAdrarAdrar, a Berber word meaning "mountain", is the name of several areas in Northwest Africa:* Adrar, Mauritania* Adrar Region, Mauritania* Adrar Plateau, Mauritania* Adrar, Algeria* Adrar Province, Algeria...
أدرار, mountain. - tit eye, source, plural tittawin.
- aït or ath آيت, "sons of".
- ighrem "settlement"
- azrou أزرو, "stone" from "azru"
- berkane بركان, "black" from aberkan.
- bordj برج, fort. from Latin
- bou بو, place of (literally "father of"). Maghrebi Arabic and , from abū أبو.
- casbahCasbahThe Casbah ) is specifically the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. More generally, a kasbah is the walled citadel of many North African cities and towns...
قصبة, old quarter of a town. - chergui شرقي (pl. cheraga شراقة), eastern.
- chottChottIn geology, chott or shebka is a dry lake in the Saharan area of Africa that stays dry in the summer, but receives some water in the winter...
شطّ, a swampy salt lake. Maghrebi Arabic, from shātī شاطئ - dar دار, pl. diar ديار, home.
- djebelDjebelDjebel was a French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939-1942 and was later a leading sire.-Breeding:Djebel was sired by Tourbillon, a stallion owned by Marcel Boussac, who had won the French Derby and the Prix Lupin, and went on to become a notable sire. Toubillon's dam-sire...
جبل, mountain. - djemaa جامع, mosque.
- douar دوار, (traditionally) region about the size of a county
- ergErg (landform)An erg is a broad, flat area of desert covered with wind-swept sand with little or no vegetative cover. The term takes its name from the Arabic word ʿarq , meaning "dune field"...
"field of dunes" (in the SaharaSaharaThe Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
.) - foggaraQanatA qanāt is a water management system used to provide a reliable supply of water for human settlements and irrigation in hot, arid and semi-arid climates...
"irrigation channel" (in the SaharaSaharaThe Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
.) - gharbi غربي, "western"
- hamadaHamadaA hamada is a type of desert landscape consisting of largely barren, hard, rocky plateaus, with very little sand. A hamada may sometimes also be called a reg , though this more properly refers to a stony plain rather than a highland.Hamadas exist in contrast to ergs, which are large areas of...
, "barren rock plain" (in the SaharaSaharaThe Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
.) - hamra f., hmar m. أحمر, "red"
- hassi حاسي, "well" (in the SaharaSaharaThe Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
.) - idhan "sand dunes", Tamahaq, the Tuareg language.
- ifrane "caves".
- ighil "hill".
- in "of", Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
- kalaa قلعة, "fortress".
- khemis خميس, "Thursday".
- ksarKsarKsar is the Arabic term for "castle", loaned from Latin castrum.The Berber equivalent is aghrem or ighrman ....
قصر, "fortified town, castle". from Latin castrum - lalla لالاّ, "female saint". Maghrebi Arabic from
- larbâa "Wednesday".
- melloul ملول, mellal ملال, mellil مليل, "white" from amellal.
- mersa مرسى, "port"
- n ن, "of"
- oued واد. Maghrebi Arabic from wādī وادي
- ouled ولاد, "sons of" Maghrebi Arabic from awlâd أولاد.
- ras راس, "cape, head"
- sebkhaSebkhaSebkha may refer to:*sabkha -salt flat*Sebkha, Mauritania...
ou sabkhaSabkhaSabkha is a transliteration of the Arabic word for a salt flat. Sabkhas are supratidal, forming along arid coastlines and are characterized by evaporite-carbonate deposits with some siliciclastics. Sabkhas form subaerial, prograding and shoaling-upward sequences that have an average thickness of a...
, "salt panSalt pan (geology)Natural salt pans are flat expanses of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually shining white under the sun. They are found in deserts, and should not be confused with salt evaporation ponds.A salt pan is formed where water pools...
" - seghir صغير, "small"
- si سي or sidiSidiSidi is a masculine title of respect, meaning "my master" in Western Arabic language and Egyptian Arabic equivalent to modern popular usage of the English Mr....
سيدي, "male saint" - soukSoukA souq is a commercial quarter in an Arab, Berber, and increasingly European city. The term is often used to designate the market in any Arabized or Muslim city, but in modern times it appears in Western cities too...
سوق, "market" مرسى, search - tadrart "the rock" Tamahaq.
- tala تالا, "spring" ; attested as early as SallustSallustGaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...
's time in the form Thala. - tan, tin "of, in" Tamahaq.
- taourirt تاوريرت, "hill".
- tedles تدلس, "reeds".
- tehe "pass" Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
- tellTellA tell or tel, is a type of archaeological mound created by human occupation and abandonment of a geographical site over many centuries. A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides.-Archaeology:A tell is a hill created by different civilizations living and...
تل, "hill" - tizi تيزي, "pass"
- wilaya ولاية, "province", Literary
- wan, win "of" Tamahaq.
- zaouiaZaouiaA zaouia or zawiya is an Islamic religious school or monastery. The term is Maghrebi and West African, roughly corresponding to the Eastern term madrassa...
زاوية "Quranic school" Maghrebi Arabic, from "corner". - zemmour زمور. azemmur, f. tazemmurt "olive tree".
- Zenati زناتي, from the medieval tribe ZenataZenataZenata were an ethnic group of North Africa, who were technically an Eastern Berber group and who are found in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco....
. - zeriba زريبة, "stockade"
- zmala زمالة, pl. zmoul زمول "encampment"