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. Phoenician names include Jijel, shortened from Latin Igilgili, from Phoenician i gilgilt "Skull Island" (according to Lipinski),[where?] and Carthage, ultimately from Punic qrt-ḥdšt (𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕) "New City."
Given the fact that Arabs founded very few cities in the regions they conquered, a large portion of cities in Arab countries have non-Arab etymologies. Many places, however, have had their names changed and "Arabized."
The following toponymic elements are common in place names in the Maghreb:
- agadir, granary, wall (in Berber languages), from Punic 𐤀𐤂𐤃𐤓, ʾgdr, the name of ancient Cadiz
- aghbal أغبال, spring. (in Berber languages)
- adrar أدرار, mountain. (in Berber languages)
- tit eye, source, plural tittawin. (in Berber languages)
- aït or ath آيت, "sons of". (in Berber languages)
- ighrem "settlement" (in Berber languages)
- azrou أزرو, "stone" from (in Berber languages) "azru"
- berkane بركان, "black" from (in Berber languages) aberkan.
- bordj برج, fort. from Arabic.
- bou بو, place of (literally "father of"). Maghrebi Arabic and (in Berber languages), from (in Arabic) abū أبو.
- casbah قصبة, old quarter of a town. (in Arabic)
- chergui شرقي (pl. cheraga شراقة), eastern. (in Arabic)
- chott شطّ, a swampy salt lake. Maghrebi Arabic, from (in Arabic) shātī شاطئ
- dar دار, pl. diar ديار, home. (in Arabic)
- djebel جبل, mountain. (in Arabic)
- djemaa جامع, mosque. (in Arabic)
- douar دوار, (traditionally) region about the size of a county (in Arabic)
- erg "field of dunes" (in the Sahara.)
- foggara "irrigation channel" (in the Sahara.)
- gharbi غربي, "western" (in Arabic)
- hamada, "barren rock plain" (in the Sahara.)
- hamra f., hmar m. أحمر, "red" (in Arabic)
- hassi حاسي, "well" (in the Sahara.)
- i, Latin transcriptions of Punic ʾY (𐤀𐤉, "island, coastland"), from Egyptian iw ("island")[1]
- idhan "sand dunes", Tamahaq, the Tuareg language. (in Berber languages)
- ifrane "caves". (in Berber languages)
- ighil "hill". (in Berber languages)
- in "of", Tamahaq, Tuareg language. (in Berber languages)
- kalaa قلعة, "fortress". (in Arabic)
- khemis خميس, "Thursday". (in Arabic)
- ksar قصر, "fortified town, castle". (in Arabic) from Latin castrum
- lalla لالاّ, "female saint". Maghrebi Arabic from (in Berber languages)
- larbâa "Wednesday". (in Arabic)
- melloul ملول, mellal ملال, mellil مليل, "white" from (in Berber languages) amellal.
- mersa مرسى, "port" (in Arabic)
- n ن, "of" (in Berber languages)
- oued واد. Maghrebi Arabic from (in Arabic) wādī وادي
- ouled ولاد, "sons of" Maghrebi Arabic from (in Arabic) awlâd أولاد.
- ras راس, "cape, head" (in Arabic)
- rus (Punic: 𐤓𐤔, RŠ, "head, cape")
- sebkha or sabkha سبخة, "salt pan" (in Arabic)
- seghir صغير, "small" (in Arabic)
- si سي or sidi سيدي, "male saint" (in Arabic)
- souk سوق, "market" (in Arabic) مرسى, search
- tadrart "the rock" Tamahaq. (in Berber languages)
- tala تالا, "spring" (in Berber languages); attested as early as Sallust's time in the form Thala.
- tan, tin "of, in" Tamahaq. (in Berber languages)
- taourirt تاوريرت, "hill". (in Berber languages)
- tedles تدلس, "reeds". (in Berber languages)
- tehe "pass" Tamahaq, Tuareg language. (in Berber languages)
- tell تل, "hill" (in Arabic)
- tizi تيزي, "pass" (in Berber languages)
- Ténéré صحراء تينيري, "desert" (in Berber languages)
- Wahran وهران, "lions", (in Berber languages)
- wan, win "of" Tamahaq. (in Berber languages)
- zaouia زاوية "Quranic school" Maghrebi Arabic, from (in Arabic) "corner".
- zemmour زمور. (in Berber languages) azemmur, f. tazemmurt "olive tree".
- Zenati زناتي, from the medieval (in Berber languages) tribe Zenata.
- zeriba زريبة, "stockade" (in Arabic)
- zmala زمالة, pl. zmoul زمول "encampment"
References
Citations
- ^ Watson (2013), p. 328.
Bibliography
- Watson, Wilfred G.E. (2013), "Loanwords in Phoenician and Punic", Ritual, Religion, and Reason, Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments, No. 404, Munster: Ugarit-Verlag, pp. 327–346.
This page was last edited on 9 March 2024, at 20:48