Ibn Battuta, the famous 14th-century Arab explorer and scholar, is considered one of the greatest travellers in history. During his lifetime, he travelled throughout the Islamic world and beyond, recording his experiences in his travelogue – The Rihla (journey).
In the pages where he details his travels to Saudi Arabia, India, China, Spain and the Mali empire, Ibn Battuta wrote: “travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
Ibn Battuta’s words emphasise the transformative power of travel and the profound experiences that come through the observation and exposure of diverse cultures, societies and geography.
Today's Arabic word of the week, safar, is the word most often used across dialects and accents to mean travel.
Derived from the three Arabic letters seen, fah and rah, safar is also pronounced as safara in classical Arabic.
As a verb, it has several meanings. The first refers to the act of something being discovered, becoming apparent or clear. This definition can be applied to an object, idea or a concept taking formation or becoming understood.
For example, one can use safara in the context of the weather when referring to a sunny day, meaning that the sunlight has turned the skies clear after bad weather or a dark night.
The Arabic expression imraa safira is taken from this meaning and describes a woman whose face is not veiled or who doesn’t wear a hijab – meaning her face is clearly seen. This is not a negative phrase but simply a way of pointing out a distinction between women who do and do not wear a hijab.
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Hob is the Arabic word for love, but can be used in many contexts -
The Arabic word helu translates, in English, to sweet -
Nashef is the Arabic word for dry, but has many connotations, depending on the context in which you use it -
The Arabic word hurriyeh translates to freedom in English -
The Arabic word tayeb can mean delicious or good, depending on the context -
The Arabic word mustaqbal is best expressed as future in English -
Waqaa, the Arabic word for fall, can signify a loss of power, stature, health or grace -
Hudood means borders in English -
The Arabic word rooh translates to spirit or soul in English -
The Arabic word ain means eye in English -
Waraq, the Arabic word of the week means paper in English -
Bahr, the Arabic for sea, has a poetic lilt -
Kareem means generous in English -
Bab means door in English -
Eid means holiday or festival -
Najm means star for the night sky and cosmos, but also has plenty of other meanings, including ambition or fame -
Alwan, the Arabic word for colours, has many shades of meaning -
Akel can refer to home-cooked meals, embezzlement, fire and rust -
Jamal is the Arabic word for beauty, be it literal or figurative -
Herfe translates to profession or craft -
Tabiaa translates to nature and can frame landscapes and portraits -
Sehha is the Arabic word for health -
Ijaza is Arabic for holiday and shines in summer but is not stress-free -
Aamal is the Arabic word for work -
Al dahr translates to time -
Qalb is a word for heart, with poetic roots -
Lugha in Arabic translates to language in English -
Insaan means human being -
Na'eeman is an idiomatic expression used when someone has had a shower or bath, a haircut or had their beard trimmed -
The Arabic word for life touches on eternity, death and accomplishment -
Qamar is the Arabic for moon -
The Arabic word for strength or power is quwwa -
Burj is Arabic for tower -
The Arabic word for sun is shams -
Sabr in English can translate to patience -
Hayba is the Arabic word for prestige -
The Arabic term al shay'e translates as 'the thing' in English -
The Arabic word for road is tareeq -
The Arabic word for read has mystical and scholarly connotations -
Istikan is the Arabic word for a type of tea cup -
The Arabic word hanan means affection in English -
The Arabic word atlal means ruins in English -
Kura is the Arabic word for ball, in all its forms -
Janaah in Arabic means wing in English -
The Arabic word sana translates to year in English -
Qasida is the Arabic for poem, not poetry -
Ameer, the Arabic word for prince, which influenced another English title -
Nakhla translates to palm tree in English -
Al samt is the Arabic for silence -
Kalimaat translates to words in English -
Markaz is Arabic for centre -
Beshara is the Arabic word for good news -
Bayt is the Arabic for house or home -
Fann is the Arabic word for art, and can be either a verb or an adjective -
Isim, which means name, is made up of three letters, alif, seen and meem -
Dunya is the Arabic word for world -
Nazaafah translates to cleanliness in English -
Many traditions revolve around drinking coffee, including weddings, funerals and business meetings -
Fajr is the Arabic word for dawn -
Maghrib is the Arabic word for sunset -
The Arabic language is filled with idioms, quotes and colloquial quips involving the mirror -
Raei is the Arabic word for opinion -
Wa'ed is a multifaceted word for 'promise', as well as a female name -
Qussa is the Arabic word for story -
Sadaaka is the Arabic word for friendship -
Akhbaar is the Arabic word for news -
Rasem is made up of the three Arabic letters Rah, Seen and Meem. While it can simply mean a drawing or a sketch it’s also a malleable word whose definition can change depending on context and dialect – particularly between colloquial and classical Arabic. -
As well as finishing a task, khatem denotes a deeper sense of finality -
Commonly translated to blessed, mubarak is used as a popular greeting on auspicious days -
The Arabic word for lighthouse is also a term that has become closely associated with Islam -
Siyaam, the Arabic word for fasting is also connected to silence -
Tawbah, the Arabic word for repentance, is also connected to Ramadan -
Safar, the Arabic Word for travel can also refer to sunny days, a brighter-blazing fire or exile. The National
Another meaning for safara relates to forging connections between people. The word can be used to describe means of communication that bring groups of people together, such as letters and open discussions as well as messengers and diplomats.
Another verb variant of safara is seffara, which is when a person or object is sent to another place by someone of a higher rank within a family, work or government context. It can also mean to exile someone from the country.
The same word is also used to reference a lit fire that starts to blaze brighter. And in a completely different context, seffara can be used to refer to the act of wrapping an object in cloth.
Aside from these various meanings, safar is most commonly used as the verb to travel. Its official definition is to travel a certain distance and to travel across the land. The word is also used in Farsi, Spanish and Portuguese.
Interestingly, the verb for travel in Swahili is derived from the Arabic safar. The word in Swahili is safari, which is a term that entered the English language in the late 1850s, thanks to British explorer, writer and orientalist scholar Richard Francis Burton.
Aside from bringing the word safari to the western mainstream, Burton also exported one of the most culturally important Arabic stories. He was one of the first to translate a version of The Arabian Nights – an epic story where travel is a significant theme – that includes all the stories from the original manuscripts, rather than solely the popular ones. He also translated the text from the original Arabic, rather than relying on previous translations.
In Arabic, safar is also used to describe other facets of travelling. Mousafir is someone who is travelling or a traveller, while wakalat safar is a travel agency and jawaz al safar is a passport. An embassy is also referred to as safarah, referring specifically to a group of people who have travelled or been sent to represent their country.
