Page 395 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Morocco

Gl ossar y  393

Glossary

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

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