In the older neighbourhoods of the UAE, some of the most important spaces were often the narrowest. Winding between homes, connecting courtyards and leading towards markets or mosques, passageways formed an essential part of everyday life. In Arabic, they are known as sikka.
Our Arabic word of the week refers to an alleyway, lane or narrow street, particularly one running between buildings. Its plural is sikak, while sikeek is also heard in Gulf dialects.
Its meaning extends beyond a passage from one place to another. In traditional Emirati settings, the sikka was a shared space where neighbours crossed paths, children played and community life unfolded.
The word has several meanings in classic Arabic. Alongside an alleyway, sikka can describe a road or pathway, as well as the engraved metal die used to strike coins. The expression sikkat al-hadid, literally an iron track, is the Arabic term for a railway.
These uses connect the word to ideas of routes, lines and movement.
Before modern roads transformed the Arabian Gulf's urban landscape, sikkas formed networks between closely built houses. Their winding layouts accommodated access and privacy, while high surrounding walls provided shade and helped protect pedestrians from the heat.
The relationship between these spaces and Emirati heritage remains visible in Dubai's Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, where narrow passageways wind between traditional courtyard houses and wind towers.
The word has also found a place in the UAE's contemporary cultural identity through the annual Sikka Art and Design Festival.
Established in 2011, the festival took its name from Al Fahidi's alleyways, where it was originally held. It moved to Al Shindagha in 2024, continuing to bring exhibitions, installations and performances into historic neighbourhood spaces.
Beyond architecture, sikka carries a figurative meaning in Arabic music and cinema, where it can represent life's journey, separation or the distance between loved ones.
Kuwaiti singer Nabeel Shuail explores this interpretation in his 1982 song Sikkat Safar (Road of Travel), written by Abdul Latif Al Bannai and composed by Rashid Al Khadr. The song presents life as a journey marked by hardship and longing, as its narrator hopes to reunite with an absent loved one.
Saudi singer Abadi Al Johar similarly uses the word in Sikka Taweela (Long Road), written by Saud Salem. Its imagery of deserted landscapes, darkness and an extended journey evokes loneliness and regret.
The expression also appears in Egyptian cinema. The 1987 drama Sikkat Safar, directed by Bashir El Deek and starring Nour El-Sherif, follows a man returning to his village after five years working in the Arabian Gulf. His newfound wealth attracts opportunists, while others in the village dream of making the same journey abroad.
Here, the title reflects both the physical journey of migration and the difficult choices accompanying the pursuit of a better life.
Whether referring to the narrow alleyways connecting homes or the uncertain roads connecting different stages of life, sikka speaks to a shared human experience. Every journey has its own passage, and every passage carries stories of those who travel through it.
