Maghreb place name etymology explained

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 Arabic: 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), and Carthage, ultimately from Punic qrt-ḥdšt ( ) "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, from Punic ‬, ʾgdr, the name of ancient Cadiz
• aghbal أغبال, spring.
• adrar 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 Arabic.
• bou بو, place of (literally "father of"). Maghrebi Arabic and, from abū أبو.
• casbah قصبة, old quarter of a town.
• chergui شرقي (pl. cheraga شراقة), eastern.
• chott شطّ, a swampy salt lake. Maghrebi Arabic, from shātī شاطئ
• dar دار, pl. diar ديار, home.
• djebel جبل, mountain.
• djemaa جامع, mosque.
• douar دوار, (traditionally) region about the size of a county
• erg "field of dunes" (in the Sahara.)
• foggara "irrigation channel" (in the Sahara.)
• gharbi غربي, "western"
• hamada, "barren rock plain" (in the Sahara.)
• hamra f., hmar m. أحمر, "red"
• hassi حاسي, "well" (in the Sahara.)
• i, Latin transcriptions of Punic (‬, "island, coastland"), from Egyptian iw ("island")
• idhan "sand dunes", Tamahaq, the Tuareg language.
• ifrane "caves".
• ighil "hill".
• in "of", Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
• kalaa قلعة, "fortress".
• khemis خميس, "Thursday".
• ksar 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"
• rus (‬,, "head, cape")
• sebkha or sabkha سبخة, "salt pan" (in Arabic)
• seghir صغير, "small"
• si سي or sidi سيدي, "male saint"
• souk سوق, "market" مرسى, search
• tadrart "the rock" Tamahaq.
• tala تالا, "spring" ; attested as early as Sallust's time in the form Thala.
• tan, tin "of, in" Tamahaq.
• taourirt تاوريرت, "hill".
• tedles تدلس, "reeds".
• tehe "pass" Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
• tell تل, "hill"
• tizi تيزي, "pass"
• Ténéré صحراء تينيري, "desert"
• Wahran وهران, "lions",
• wan, win "of" Tamahaq.
• zaouia زاوية "Quranic school" Maghrebi Arabic, from "corner".
• zemmour زمور. azemmur, f. tazemmurt "olive tree".
• Zenati زناتي, from the medieval tribe Zenata.
• zeriba زريبة, "stockade"
• zmala زمالة, pl. zmoul زمول "encampment"

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