Preserving the Old City of Damascus

Glossary

251 Glossary ’abraj: towers ’adabiyat al-mintaqah: local norms ‘ajami: painted wood used in the decoration of the courtyard house ’akbiya: cellars Allah Hamyhah Ya Sham: God is protecting you O Sham ana raj‘iyyeh: I am reactionary or returning ’ard al-diyar: courtyard ’arwa‘: more wonderful ’asala: authenticity ‘ashw’iyat: informal neighborhoods ’asl: origin ‘awda: return badawi: Bedouin baha: courtyard baha al-samawiyya: courtyard bahib al-balad: I love the country al-balad al-qadimah: Old City bayt ‘arabi: Damascene traditional courtyard house abbreviated as bayt bedu: Bedouin ’blaq: stone inlay used in the decoration of the courtyard house al-day‘ah: village dhawq: taste, distinction dihliz: corridor Dimashq: Damascus Dimashq al-mahrusah: Damascus the protected Dimashq al-qadimah: Old Damascus fada’l: virtues frankat: from the word Frank meaning windows 252 • Glossary fusha: opening as in courtyard al-ghazu thaqafi: cultural invasion hadarah: civilization hadari: civilized hadatha: modernization hadr: urban dwellers hammam: bathhouse hammati: pigeon breeder hanan ‘umrani: kind buildings haqarah: vulgar harah: neighborhood haram: forbidden or prohibited but in my usage “what a pity” harb tabaqiyya: class warfare haremlik: women’s living space hawiyya hadariyya: civilizational identity hik inti kharabti al-dinya: with this you have ruined the world hujrah: room ’ili ma lu qadim ma ’ilu jaded: who has no old has no new ‘imara: building intima’ lil balad: belong to the country ’istthmar: investment ’iwan or liwan: a room with one side open jinna: paradise khalaf: he violated [the law] khallal: fault khanah ’idash: household eleven kharab: ruin khay: exclamation of thanks khurafik: he pulled your leg khususiyya: privacy kulik dhawq: you are in good taste or good manners la buda: must madrassa: school makbut: stifled markiz: center masturah: protected, guarded min al-rif: from the countryside Glossary • 253 min al-wadi: from the valley, a region in central Syria Misr: Cairo or Egypt mizajiyah: moodiness, idiosyncrasy mukhabarat: secret intelligence muqawamat: foundations mustathmir: investor plural mustathmirin mutakhalif: backward muzarkash: overly decorated namt haya: lifestyle al-nasij al-‘umrani: urban fabric rahma: compassion riad: courtyard house in Morocco sabi‘ tabaqat: seven layers sahn: courtyard salimlik: men’s living space satr: protect, guard shadh: deviant Shaghur barrani al-Sham: Damascus or greater Syria al-Sham al-qadimah: old Sham Shami: Damascene shawah: marred shu haram? kan hatha manzar hadari: What do you mean a pity? Was that a civilized sight? Shuwam: Damascenes (plural of Shami) siyaha: tourism suba: heater sukani: demographic ta‘baneh: tired or worn out tabaqa: social class or layer al-tabaqah al-jadida: new class tabaqa tayarah: refers to the new class tabaqat: social classes or layers plural of tabaqa tabaqat hadariyyah: civilizational layers tabiq: flat or apartment tadamun: solidarity tahdith: modernization 254 • Glossary tajr: merchant takaful: mutual responsibility takamul: coherence takhalluf: backwardness tamwih: misleading tashabu‘: satiation tasih: melt tasmim: design taswih: make touristy thaqafa: culture traji‘ ila al-’asl: return to the origin turath: heritage ‘ulama: religious leaders ‘umran: civilization or building wajh hadari: civilized appearance waskh: filth wihdah hadariyyah: oneness of civilization zakhrafa: ornament, decoration ...