Any mistakes/omissions, let me know and I'll edit. GLOSSARY OF GEOGRAPHICAL TERMS Arabic unless otherwise stated. L - Used chiefly in Libya. Tu - Tuareg. Tb - Tebbu. ABBREVIATIONS B - Bir Cht - Chetib, Scetib Geb - Gebel Gr - Gabr Gt - Graret Hsi - Hasi, Hisi Mn - Maaten Si - Sidi Sni - Sania U - Uad? W - Wadi Zt - Zawia GLOSSARY OF COLOURS IN ARABIC GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES Red m. AHMAR, fem. HAMRA e.g. EL HAMMADIA EL HAMRA (The red Hammada) White ABIA, fem. BAIDA e.g. EL BARQA EL BAIDA (The white plain) Black ASWAD, fem. SODA e.g. EL HARUG EL ASWAD. GEBEL SODA Green AKHDAR, fem. KHADRA e.g. GEBEL AKHDAR Blue AZRAQ, fem. ZERQA Though literally “blue”, AZRAQ, and more often ZERQA, is used for “dark-coloured” e.g. EL GARA EL ZERQA (The dark hill) Brown m. ASMAR, fem. SAMRA Used for dark brown or even black Yellow ASFAR, fem. SAFRA A Adrar (Tu) - Mountains, mountain ranges Aghira, Aghiret (L) - Cultivated depression Aghla, dim. Agheila (L) - Cultivated depression Ain, pl. Uyun, dim. Uwein, p. Uweinat - Spring Alama, pl. Alamat - Direction cairn, isolated hillock Alent, pl. Ailam, dim. Aleim - Direction cairn Angud - Low knoll Aqaba, Agaba - Pass, ascent Argub - Ridge, spur Atmur - Open Plain B Bab, pl. Beiban, dim. Bueib - Pass, lit. “door” Bahar - See Bahr Bahr, pl. Buhur - Sea, river Balta, Baltet, pl. Balat - Mudpan Barchan - Crescent dune Barqa, Barga - Plain Batn - Depression, basin in hills, lit. “stomach” Bir, pl. Abiar, Abar - (1) Dug well, (2) cistern Birqa, Birket - Pool, pond Borg - See Burj Buj, Burg, pl. Buruj - Tower, or hill resembling same C Caf - See Kaf Cheluiet - Piece of arable land Chetib - See Scetib Chuer - See Khor Com - See Kom D Dahr, Dahar - Tableland, plateau, high ground, lit. “back” Dahret - See Dahr Darb - Road, track Debba - Sandy hill *Deir - Depression, monastery, ruins Dor, dim. Dueir, Duer - Group of hills *In Egypt “Deir” more commonly means depression; in Cyrenaica, monastery or ruins E Edeyen (Tu) - Dune field, sand sea Ehi (Tb) - Small peak Ein - See Ain Eluet - Rising ground Emi (Tb) - High peak Enneri (Tb) - Valley Erg, Ergh - Dunes, dune-field Erget - Land with wild vegetation Ezba - Village, hamlet F Feg - Open ground Fesh-Fesh - Soft powdery chalk or clay Foggara - Well-system connected by underground channels Fumm - Gorge, defile, lit. “mouth” G Ghor - Depression, deep valley Giama - Mosque Gilf - Cliff, escarpment Giof - Long depression Gisr - Embankment of bridge Got - Circular depression Goz - See Qoz Grain - See Qarein Grara, Graret - Depression, basin Greh (Tb) - Isolated rocks Gubba - Dome, tomb Gabr, Gbar, pl. Gbur, dim. Gburet - Tomb Gara, Garet, Garat, pl. Gur, Gour, dim. Gueret, Guweira, pl. Guerat - Hill, usually low Gasr - See Qasr Gataet - Piece (of land) Gebbana, dim. Gebbanet - Cemetery Gebel, pl. Gubal - Hill, mountain Gezira, pl. Geza’ir, dim. Geziret - Island Ghadir, Ghedir - Depression Ghard, Gherd, Gurd, pl. Gherud, Gurud, Gherued, dim. Gredat - Dunes Ghelb, pl. Ghlub, dim. Guelib - Rocky hill H Hagar, pl. Hugar - Rock, stone Hagfet, Hagfa, pl. Ahgaf - Unroofed cistern Hagiag - Summit of escarpment Halgh, Halegh - Gorge, valley, pass, defile Hallabet - Low rise Hammada, Hamadet, dim. Hameidet - Stony plain Harf - Low scarp Harret - Lava hill Hasi, Hisi - Waterhole Hattia, Hatiet - Area of vegetation Haua - Cave Hod, pl. Heidan - Depression Hosc, Hosh - Compound, enclosure I Id, pl. Udeid - Shallow well Igidi (Tu) - Dunefield, sand sea Ilwet - See Eluet J Jarf - Cliff Jebel - See Gebel K Kaf - Granary Karkur - Gorge Karmusa, Karmuset, Carmuset - Fig garden Kasba - Castle, fort Khersha, pl. Kharashiff - Wind eroded rock surface. Usually very bad going. Khor, pl. Kheiran, dim. Khueir, Chuer - Water course Kom, pl. Akwam - Mound (or pile of stones) Kubri - Bridge M Maaten - Shallow wells near the sea Magen (L) - Cistern Marsa - Port, anchorage Masrab - Camel track Mchazen, Makhzan - Storehouse Merg - Meadow, fertile plain Mergheb - Observation point, height Meshra - Ford, watering place Mgataet, Magta - Barrier, Mosque Mgtaa - Obstacle Mingar, Minquar, pl. Managir - Cliff, bluff Miqreh, Migreh - Watershed Mitla - Pass, ascent Mughara, Mugharet - Cave Musran - Small valley Mzaret - Cultivated land N Nab - Pinnacle (rock, etc.) Nagb, Naqb - Pass Nahr, pl. Nuhur - River Nakhl, dim. Nakheil - Date palm Neggaza - Cliff, ascent ? Nezua, Nezuet - Spoil from excavated cistern Nusb, dim. Nuseib - Knoll, bluff Q Qa’a - Bottom, mud pan Qarn, dim. Qarein - Sharp rock or hill, lit. “horn” Qala’a - Lit. “fort” or “citadel”, hill resembling such Qasr, pl. Qusur, dim. Quseir - lit. “castle” “fort”, hill resembling same Qelti, pl. Qulut - Rock pool Qoz, pl Qeizan - Dune R Raml, Ramla, Ramlet, pl. Rimal - Sand Raqaba, Ragbet - Watercourse Ras, pl. Russ, dim. Rues, Rueis - Peak, cape, lit. “head” Reg - Flat desert, serir Regem, pl. Rujum - Cairns or similar natural features. Pile of stones on the bottom of a cistern to facilitate descent Resciadet - Rocks Rgheibet - Neck or defile at top of valley Rif, pl. Aryaf - Cultivated land S Sabakha, Sebchet, Scebchet - Salt marsh, bog Sahan - Depression, lit. “plate” Sahl - Plain, sea shore Sahra - Desert Salb - Hard ground Samah - Plain, good going Sania, Sanyet, pl. Suani - Well Sauwana - Flinty plain Scegiar - Trees Sceigghet - Broken groun Sciuech - Sheikh’s tomb Sef - Long crested dune, lit. “sword” Seil - Torrent, flood bed Serir - Gravel desert Sghifet - Parallel sided depression Shalla - Stream bed Shedua - Hillock Shetib, Scetib, pl. Scetban - Small wadi Shi’b, dim. Shiab - Floor bed Shi’ib - Branch wadi Shorma - Saddle between hills Sidi - Saint, holy man Sikka - Road Silch, pl. Soluch - Small wadi Sira, Siret, dim. Sueret - Ruins ? T Talan - Acacia trees Tamr - Date palm Tanezrouft (Tu) - Hard sand and gravel Tarbul, pl. Terrabil - Mound with vegetation on top Tarig, Trigh - Road, track Tarso (Tb) - Plateau, tableland Tassili (Tu) - Rough horizontal crevassed country Tell - Mound, usually artificial Tenere (Tu) - Flat arid desert Themila - Waterhole Tumud, Themed, dim. Tumeid - Waterhole U Ueseca - See Weschet W Waarat - Small vegetation patch Wadi, pl. Widian, dim. Wadei, Udei, pl. Udeiat - Watercourse Wah, pl. Wahat - Oasis Weschet, Weshka - Stunted palm Z Zawia - Monastery, religious centre Zemlet - Low knoll Zolat - Stone, rocky ridge