Glossary of Egyptian Terms ... Your Egypt

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Glossary of terms used in Egyptian history and in reference to Egyptian-oriented monuments

Abbreviations:
Ar, Arabic; En, English; Gk, Greek; Hr, Hieroglyphics;
Heb, Hebrew; It, Italian; L, Latin; Pr, Persian; Tk, Turkish.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | K | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | W | Y

Term	Meaning	Source
	- A -	UP
Abu	Literally father of, but used in many occasion to express appurtenance.	Ar.
Amphitheater	A Roman style oval building with a stage surrounded by elevated tiers of seats for spectacles.	Gk: theater on both sides.
Anba	Title of Coptic bishops or senior saints.	Coptic.
Ankh	The cross with a loop at its top, a symbol of life in Ancient Egypt.	Hr: live.
Antechamber	The chamber that precedes the sanctuary in ancient temples.	L.
Apis	The bull which was believed to be an incarnation of Egyptian god Ptah, hence deified.
Arabesque	An intricate Islamic art uses geometric shapes and linear flowers and fruits in design.	It: Arab-like.
Architrave	A decorated stone beam topping columns that support a ceiling.	L.
	- B -	UP
Bab	A door or a city gate.	Ar: door.
Bahr	Literally a sea in Arabic but sometimes called on rivers and canals.	Ar.
Barque	A vessel used by Ancient Egyptians to transfer statues of deities through the Nile in religious ceremonies.	Coptic.
Beit	A house in Arabic.	Ar.
Berket	A lake in Arabic.	Ar.
Bey or Bay	A title given to dignitaries in the Ottoman era.	Tk.
Bir	A well or a spring.	Ar.
Birth House	See Mammisi.	En.
Black Death	The bubonic plague that hit Europe and spread to Egypt, decimating the population in the 14th century.	En.
Book of the Dead	Magical spells buried with the deceased.	En.
	- C -	UP
Caliph	A title of rulers of Islamic empire who claim descent to Prophet Mohamed.	Ar: successor.
Caliphate	The administration of a Caliph, title of Islamic empire.	Ar.
Caravansary or Caravanserai	A courtyard prepared for accommodation of caravans.	Pr: inn
Cartouche	The oval ring that bears a name of a pharaoh.	It: paper.
Catacombs	An underground cemetery that has rooms to hold coffins of a dynasty.	obscure.
Cataract	A waterfall.	Gk: fall down.
Cenotaph	A symbolic tomb to honor a dead human whose body is buried somewhere else.	Gk: empty tomb.
Cistern	A water reservoir.	L.
Colonnade	A line of columns usually supporting part of an entablature.	It: columns.
Colossus - pl: colossi	A gigantic-size statue.	Gk: statue.
Copt	An Egyptian Christian who belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt.	Ar > Gk: Egyptian.
Corveé	Unpaid workers who were brought to work forcefully.	L.
Cush or Kush	A kingdom founded in Nubia in Upper Egypt.
	- D -	UP
Dar	A house.	Ar.
Deir	A monastery, usually belongs to Coptic Christians. Some sites bear the same name which indicate its usage as a monastery in the past.	Ar: monastery.
Demotic	Simplified form of hieroglyphics used in late pharaonic eras.	Gk: plebeian.
Diadochi	Name given to Macedonian generals who succeeded Alexander the Great.
Divan	A council of an Islamic state, brought in by Ottomans.	Pr.
Druze	An offshoot sect of Islam named after Darazi, vizier of Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim in the early 11th century.	Ar: of Darazi.
Duumvir	Equal-footed couple of rulers.	L: two men.
Dyophysitism	The belief that Christ has two natures, divine and human which are inseparably united. - Compare with Monophysitism.	Gk: of two natures.
	- E -	UP
Ein - pl: Oyoun	A spring of underground water.	Ar.
Emir	Head of state in some Islamic states.	Ar: prince.
Ennead	A group of nine deities.	Gk: of nine.
	- F -	UP
Fresco	Painting using water coloring on wet plaster on walls and ceilings.	It: fresh.
	- G -	UP
Gabal	Mountain in Arabic.	Ar.
	- H -	UP
Hammam - pl: Hammamat	Literally paths, means natural pool or spring.	Ar: bath.
Haramlik	Women's private section in a Mamluk house prohibited on strangers to enter, usually where women walk freely - Compare with Salamlik.
Harem	Literally women in Arabic, or the place where women lodge.	Ar: prohibited.
Heb Sed	An ancient Egyptian festival for the king to rejuvenate and prove himself as a potent ruler, usually after 30 years of his rule.	Hr.
Hieratic	An abridged form of Hieroglyphics used by priests.	Gk: of priesthood.
Hieroglyphics	The pictographic writing of Ancient Egyptians.	Gk: sacred writing.
Hittites	People of the Asciatic kingdom of Khatti who were engaged in war with Egypt on several occasions.	Heb.
Hyksos	Asciatic people who invaded Egypt and founded the 15th and 16th dynasties.	Hr: Rulers of the foreign lands.
Hypostyle	A hall whose roof is supported by many huge columns.	Gk: rest on pillars.
	- I -	UP
Iconostasis	A screen adorned with icons in a Coptic church separates the altar from the nave.	Gk.
Imam	A Moslem leader or preacher.	Ar: leader.
Intermediate Period	Name of three periods in ancient Egypt during which central authority was absent and chaos prevailed.	En.
Iseum	A temple dedicated to goddess Isis.	L.
Ithyphallic	Portrayed with an erect penis, as the Egyptian god Min.	Gk: erect penis.
	- K -	UP
Ka	The spirit of a deceased which remains around and can watch religious ceremonies on condition that his corpse is mummified.	Hr.
Kemet	A name of Egypt, means the black land.	Gk: straight.
Khamasin	A southerly wind that blows in Egypt during 50 days from mid March.	Ar: fifty.
Khan	A caravansary.	Pr.
Khedive	Title of Egyptian rulers from 1867 to 1914.	Pr: prince.
Kiosk	An open pavilion with columns supporting a roof.	Pr.
	- M -	UP
Madrasa	A theological school to teach Islamic jurisprudence in Islamic era.	Ar.
Mammisi	This small building is built to celebrate the labor of goddess Hathor to her child, the Pharaoh, as she was considered mother of the kings and in turn they were imbibing divinity from her. -Also called Birth House.
Maristan	A hospital usually attached to a mosque during medieval Islamic rules.	Pr: place of the sick.
Marsa or Mersa	Anchorage.	Ar.
Mastaba	A Pharaonic elevated rectangular tomb with sloping sides.	Ar: bench<./td>
Mausoleum	The burial place of a famous man.	Gk.
Medinet	A city in Arabic.	Ar.
Midan	Arabic term for traffic square.	Ar.
Minaret	The tower attached to mosques where the muezzin call on people to attend religious semons. - See Muezzin.	Ar.
Minbar	A pulpit in a mosque from which preachers deliver their religious sermons.	En.
Mitanni	A kingdom in Asia fought by Thutmose III of 18th dynasty.
Monophysitism	The belief that Christ has only once nature with both divine and human incorporated in him. - Compare with Dyophysitism.	Gk: of one nature.
Mosaic	Colored stones or glasses forming a piece of patchwork.	obscure.
Mosque	The place of worship for Moslems.	Ar.
Muezzin	The crier who ascends a minaret to call Moslems for prayers. -See Minaret.	Ar.
Mulid	A popular festival usually celebrating birthday or death of a saint.	Ar.
	- N -	UP
Naos	The inner part of sanctuary which contains statues.	Gk: shrine.
Napata	A kingdom founded at late Pharaonic eras in the far south of Egypt.
Narthex	The passage between the entrance of a church and its nave.	Gk.
Necropolis	Large cemetery of a city-size.	Gk: city of dead.
Niche	A recess in a wall carved to hold statues and paintings.	L.
Nilometer	A place to measure the level height of the Nile water.	En: Nile meter.
Nomarch	Ruler of a nome. - See nome.	Gk: ruler.
Nome	A province of Ancient Egypt. - See Nomarch.	Gk: district.
Nubia	The farthest southern part of Egypt lies beneath the first cataract.
	- O -	UP
Obelisk	The four-sided inscribed pillar with a pyramidal apex erected by Egyptian kings on certain occasions.	Gk: pointed pillar.
Osireion	A symbolic tomb of Osiris.	Gk.
	- P -	UP
Pasha	A title given to senior statesmen in Ottoman era.	Tk.
Papyrus	Type of paper cut from a plant bears the same name used by Pharaohs for writing.	Gk.
Pharaoh	The title of ancient Egyptian kings.	Hr: great.
Pharos	The name of the ancient light house of Alexandria, built by Ptolemy II.	Gk.
Portico	A roof supported by columns at the entrance of a huge building.	It.
Pronaos	The small room that leads to the inner sanctuary of a temple (the naos).	Gk: before shrine.
Ptolemy	Name of a line of Macedonian kings who ruled Egypt 323-30 B.C.
Pyramid Texts	Special prayers and advises about afterlife and texts including magical spells inscribed on walls of a pyramid.	En.
Pyramidion	A miniature pyramid, used as a capstone.
	- Q -	UP
Qasr	A palace in Arabic.	Ar.
Qubbet	The dome in Arabic.	Ar.
	- R -	UP
Ras	Cape.	Ar: cape.
	- S -	UP
Sabil	Water fountain dedicated to thirst passersby.	Ar: path.
Safari	An expedition in the deserts for the purpose of exploring.	Ar: journey.
Salamlik	A public area of a Mamluk house where guests can be received. -Compare with Haramlik.
Sanatorium	Hospital for treating chronic diseases.	L: place to heal.
Sarcophagus	The sculptured stone coffin of a deceased Egyptian.	Gk: flesh eating.
Scarab	A beetle used by Egyptians as an amulet.	Gk: horned beetle.
Sea People	Allied tribes who came from the Mediterranean Sea to attack Egypt during 20th dynasty's Ramesses III.	En.
Serapeum	A temple for Egyptian-Greek god Serapis.	Gk.
Seven Wonders of the World	The seven structures considered the most remarkable of ancient times: the Egyptian pyramids, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus by Phidias at Olympia, and the Pharos or lighthouse of Alexandria. (See them)	En.
Shadoof	An Egyptian device used to raise waters for irrigation of land, still used to the moment.	Ar.
Shah	Title of former Iranian kings.	Pr: king.
Sheikh	The head of a big family and sometimes a title for Moslem clerics for respect.	Ar: old man.
Sheikh El-Balad	The master of country, a title like a mayor.	Ar.
Shi'ite	A minority sect of Islam that believes the Prophet's succession of power should have gone to his cousin Ali.	Ar.
Sirdar	A commander.	Pr.
Sistrum	An Ancient Egyptian percussion instrument.	Gk: shake.
Solar boat	Boats used to transfer the soul of the deseased in the afterworld.	En.
Sphinx	Recumbent statue having a body of a lion and a human or animal head.	Gk.
Stela, stele - pl: stelae	A monumental stone slap bearing inscription of a certain achievement or event.	Gk: make stand.
Sufi	Ascetic mystical Moslems.	Ar.
Sultan	A sovereign of some Islamic countries. Compare with Sultana.	Ar.
Sultana	The wife of a Sultan. - Compare with Sultan.	Ar: Sovereign.
Sunni	The main rite of Islam who compose majority of Moslems in the World.	Ar.
	- T -	UP
Tall / Tell	Hill.	Ar: hill.
Triad	The name given to god Osiris, goddess Isis and their son god Horus. They are also called The Theban Triad.	Gk: group of three.
	- U -	UP
Uraeus	The cobra snake sacred by ancient Egyptians and represented in their headdresses as a symbol of mightiness.	Gk > Hr.
Ushabti	Mummy-form statuettes placed with the deceased in his tomb.	Hr.
	- V -	UP
Viceroy	A ruler of a province and deputy of the sovereign. - See Wali.	L: vice king.
Vizier	Deputy ruler, in old Islamic countries, a post like a vice president.	Ar.
	- W -	UP
Wadi	Dry watercourses or valleys.	Ar: valley.
Wahhabism	Conservative movement in Arabia founded by followers of Abdel Wahhab (1703-92) based on the radical interpretation of the teaching of Islam.	Ar: of Abdel Wahhab.
Wali	A ruler of a province or a big city in big Islamic empires - See Viceroy.	Ar: ruler.
Wekala	A special inn for merchants.	Ar.
	- Y -	UP
Yom Kippur	A Jewish holiday on 10th Tishri (first month of Jewish calendar).	Heb: Day of Atonement.