Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery "d0e176"

Glossary

‘amm: literally “uncle” but used more generally as a title of respect when addressing an elder.
Amosis: founder of the eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt: in 1567 B.C., he drove out a group of invaders known as the Hyksos, who had come from the east and ruled Egypt since 1674 B.C.
‘araq: strong alcoholic drink, distilled from dates.
bekawiya: literally, “the rank of a bey.”
bismillaahi maa shaa’ allah: “in the name of God, this is what God has willed”: Arabs have traditionally feared that beauty may attract the envy of others and therefore bad luck (hence, “the evil eye”); any direct acknowledgment of a person’s beauty is thus considered dangerous, so instead the name of God is invoked, as in the expression used here, which is intended to warn the envious that it is wrong to direct envy at God’s handiwork.
bey: a title of prestigious social rank, at one time awarded by the ruler of Egypt and achieved either by merit or through bribes; it may also be used loosely, simply to address someone in a respectful manner.
Cromer (Lord): the most powerful British administrator (1882–1906) during the British occupation of Egypt.
diwan: an area, like a sitting room, either within or at the front part of a house, for receiving guests, usually used by the men of the household and their male visitors.
‘Eid: here ‘Eid el-Fitr, a major Islamic holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan (q.v.).
el-Baida, el-Halabiyya: epithets of Amuna (see p. 37): el-Baida means “the white,” or “the fair skinned”; el-Halabiyya—“the girl from Aleppo”—is not actually part of Amuna’s name but refers to a migration from Aleppo, in Syria, to Egypt of a particular group of people who came to be known as gypsies, thus identifying her as a gypsy.
el-Hasan and el-Hussein: grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad: el-Hussein was murdered in a dispute over the succession to the caliphate, in a battle in Karbala, Iraq; accounts of the death of el-Hasan do not agree, but one variant suggests that he was poisoned.
el-Nigashi: the Negus: title of the Christian ruler of Ethiopia in the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
Faris: name meaning “horseman” or “cavalier.”
feddan: measure equivalent to slightly more than an acre.
gallabiyya: long robelike garment, traditionally worn by Egyptian peasant men; in winter, other clothes might be worn underneath, including a pair of long underpants.
ghurayyiba: sweet biscuits, something like shortbread, traditionally prepared on certain holidays.
gouza: also known as hookah or shisha, a flexible or bamboo pipe attached to a bottlelike container full of water topped by a bowl of burning coals, sometimes used by men for smoking hashish—hence the reference to the “innocent” women’s gouza (see p. 67).
hagg: a term of respect, generally but not invariably referring to a Muslim who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Harbi: name meaning “warrior.”
Hijra: the flight from Mecca to Medina, in A.D. 620, by the Prophet Muhammad and his followers, who were escaping the persecution that was inflicted upon the earliest Muslims.
hookah: see gouza.
Hyksos: see Amosis.
imam: Muslim prayer leader.
in shaa’ allah: God willing.
jilbaab: long garment similar to a gallabiyya (q.v.).
jubbah: cloak, or long outer garment, open in front, with wide sleeves.
karkadeh: a sweet drink made from hibiscus flowers.
khawaaga: Egyptian slang for “foreigner,” roughly equivalent to the South American word gringo.
ma’dhoun: in Islam, an official authorized to perform marriages: the part of the wedding performed by the ma’dhoun would traditionally take place in the presence of the groom and some of the wedding guests, before the arrival of the bride.
mi‘allim: a title of respect, roughly translatable as “master” or “boss.”
miqaddis: a title normally referring to a Christian who has made the pilgrimage to Al-Quds (Jerusalem).
misbaha: a string of prayer beads, something like a rosary.
mizmar: a single-reed instrument that sounds something like an oboe.
naksa: literally, “setback”; sometimes used euphemistically—as in this novel—in reference to the defeat in the 1967 war when Egypt, under Nasser (q.v.), lost Sinai to Israel.
Nasser: Gamal Abdel-Nasser, leader of the Egyptian Revolution in 1952 and president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970.
qallayaat: literally, “fryers”; actually “cells” (here monastic cells).
Ramadan: ninth month in the Islamic calendar; Ramadan is observed in part through daily fasting from dawn to sunset, and the final breaking of the fast, held on the first day of the tenth month (Shawwaal), normally involves a great celebration—see also ‘Eid.
Sa‘iid: Upper Egypt, known as “the Sa‘iid”; Sa‘iidi is the corresponding adjective.
sharbat: a sweet drink made from fruit syrup.
shisha: see gouza.
tarbush: the cylindrical “fez,” Turkish in origin, usually red with a black tassel.
wallahi: literally, “by God,” but often used to emphasize whatever is being said or to confirm a previous statement.
Ward es-Sham: name meaning “flower of Damascus.”
ya: vocative particle, generally used in direct address, as in “ya Safiyya!”