This week’s Arabic word of the week has profound and symbolic resonance that has shaped the identity of the Middle East, while influencing many facets of western culture and art.
Sahraa is a noun, it means desert. The official definition of the word is a spacious, empty and wide piece of land with little or minimal vegetation and with poor or no water resources.
There are a few plurals for the word sahraa which include, saharaaa, sahrin, sahrawat and saharee. The meaning of the words change slightly depending on the context in which they are used in sentence structures and in references to different kinds of deserts.
The origin of the word sahraa is derived from the three Arabic letters, sad, hah and raa.
The word sahraa originates from three Arabic verbs whose meanings intersect and are closely linked to notions of the desert.
The first of these verbs is sahara which has two meanings. The first is when raw food is cooked and the second when someone or something is has suffered excessive exposure to the sun.
The second word is sahiraa which is something that gains a slight red tinge and the third is sahhara, which means when fertile land becomes arid.
It’s clear to see how these three words are all connected to ideas of the desert from its nature and effect on living things. There are many words that are used in classical and colloquial Arabic that are derived from the word sahraa that also have connections to notions of the desert.
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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
For example, as-hara is a verb that usually means people who journey into the desert. But when used to reference a place it means an area or location that has become more spacious. When it is used in the context of a topic or issue, it means that the subject matter discussed, which may have been murky or shrouded in mystery, has become clearer or obvious.
An interesting name for camels, whose natural habitat is the desert, is safeenat al sahraa which literally translates as ship of the desert.
Camels are uniquely adapted to the harsh climate of the desert. They have been an integral means of transport and trade for Bedouin people who live in the dessert and are also a symbol for the culture and way of life of the desert itself.
There are many famous deserts in the Middle East. These include the Sahara desert, the Arabian desert, the Empty Quarter, the Sinai desert and the Libyan desert.
Across the Abrahamic religions, the desert has been a symbol to convey many spiritual meanings and journeys. The desert has been a place of exile where individuals or groups of people are tested, a space where divine encounters have occurred and a symbol of great inner and outer transformation.
The desert has also had significant influence on all forms of literature and art, from poetry and fiction to painting and film. Arabic literature and poetry began as an oral form of storytelling, which originated from the nomadic culture of tribes who for centuries lived in and travelled across the desert.
The Arabian desert, or the idea of the Arabian desert, has inspired many themes and motifs in western literature and storytelling.
The desert’s harsh, endless landscapes, its solitude, stunning scenery and diversity of animals have all helped to push narratives, metaphors and ideas of exoticism, epic romantic love, magic, adventure, exploration and many ideas concerning fate, spirituality, mysticism and self-discovery in the West.
