Page 391 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Morocco

GL OSSAR Y  389

Glossary

adrar: mountain. emir: personal title meaning “he kasbah: fortified house with a
agadir: collective granary in the who commands”. single crenellated tower, or four
western Atlas. erg: expanse of sand or ridge of crenellated towers, one at each
agdal: large garden, orchard. dunes. corner of the walls.
aguelmane: permanent natural Fassi: inhabitant of Fès. khoubz: bread (usually a circular
lake. fiqh: Islamic legal code. loaf).
ahidou: collective dance fondouk: in the past, hostelry for khaima: tent made of woven
performed by the Berber tribes travelling merchants, their beasts goat-hair or camel-hair, used by
of the Middle Atlas and eastern of burden and their merchandise. the nomads of the Sahara and
High Atlas. gebs: plaster that can be the semi-nomadic people of
ahwach: collective dance decoratively carved. Also known the Atlas.
performed by villagers of the as stucco. khettara: underground channels
western High Atlas and the gurbi: house of semi-nomadic for the provision of water, along
Anti-Atlas. people, built with mud and whose course wells are sunk.
aïd: festival. branches. Synonymous with foggara.
aït: “son of”, referring to a tribe Gnaoua: religious brotherhood koubba: cube-like building
or the region occupied by this of popular belief originating in crowned by a dome and housing
tribe. black Africa. Followers consider the tomb of a venerated
Ammeln: Berber tribe of the themselves to be the spiritual individual.
Anti-Atlas whose language is descendants of Bilal, an Ethiopian ksar (pl. ksour): fortified village
Chleuh (qv). slave, whom the Prophet surrounded by solid walls set
assif: river or watercourse. Mohammed set free before with towers at the angles.
bab: city gate. making him his muezzin (qv). Lalla: title of respect given to
baraka: divine blessing, which guedra: dance characteristic of women.
is passed down from parent to the Goulimine region of Morocco, maalem: master-craftsman.
child. Baraka is also obtained performed by kneeling women. makhzen: central power, royal
by making a pilgrimage to a Also the large drum that is played authority.
holy shrine. to accompany the dancers. marabout: prestigious head of a
bendir: drum consisting of a Hadith: collection of legends religious brotherhood. By
goatskin stretched over a frame. relating to the life, words and extension, the term also refers to
bled: countryside, village. deeds of the Prophet Mohammed. the tomb of such a holy man.
borj: bastion or tower set at the Hadj: pilgrimage to Mecca. mashrabiyya: wooden
corners of the defensive walls of haik: long woman’s wrap made latticework panel used as a
fortified houses. from a single piece of fabric, screen in front of balconies and
burnous: voluminous woollen worn draped around the body. in the windows of mosques
hooded cloak worn by men. hamada: stony, arid plateau in and houses, to hide those
cadi: religious judge, once having the Sahara. within from view.
the power to impose sharia law. hammam: Turkish bath. méchouar: parade ground at the
caid: chief of a defined territory, hanbel: carpet or blanket woven entrance to a royal palace.
subordinate to the governor of a by Berbers. medersa: Koranic school with
province. Hegira: starting point of the resident students.
caliph: title held by a Muslim Muslim era, on 16 July 622. medina: traditional Arab town
chief, designating Mohammed’s henna: shrub grown for its enclosed by ramparts; from
successor. leaves, which, among other Medina, the city where the
chergui: hot, dry southeasterly things, are used in the Prophet Mohammed found
wind. manufacture of cosmetics. refuge from persecution.
Chikhate: female dancer from igherm: communal fortified mellah: Jewish quarter of a
the Middle Atlas. granary typical of the central medina.
Chleuh: Berber tribe of the Atlas High Atlas. menzah: pavilion in a palace
and Anti-Atlas. Also the language imam: Islamic leader of garden.
spoken by the tribes of these congregational prayer. mihrab: niche in a mosque,
regions. jbel: mountain. indicating the direction of
dahir: decree having the force of jellaba: wide-sleeved, hooded Mecca.
law in Morocco. garment worn by both men and minaret: tower of a mosque
dar: house. women. from the top of which the
dayet: natural lake formed by jemaa: village assembly of the muezzin (qv), or an electric
underground water. heads of families in Berber tribes. recording, calls the faithful
diffa: feast-day meal. kaftan: long woman’s garment to prayer.
dirham: Moroccan unit of secured at the front and minbar: pulpit in a mosque,
currency. decorated with passementerie from which the imam (qv) leads
douar: hamlet. and embroidery. Friday prayers.

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