This is a book I came across in the History section of the library and am I ever glad I picked it up. This is Cairo as I have dreamt it would be, and this book really makes you want to go there. Halfway through the book, you too will wish you were in a souk in Cairo, sipping wine as the desert wind blows in from the Sahara and coats everything in a sheen of dust. Max Rodenbeck, linguist and Cairene gives us the history of Cairo as it evolved over the ages, from the Pharaonic era to the rise of Islam to its current role as a pivot in the Middle Eastern peace process.
Rodenbeck traces the rise and fall of Cairo as it sits at the center of the world, between Europe and the Far East, a ripe plum that’s caught the eye of many a conqueror on his way East. Alexander, Caesar and then the Mongol Horde in the form of the Turks, all swept down from the fold to leave their imprint on this jewel of the Nile. Cairo has survived and flourished, in a manner befitting a truly cosmopolitan city, though each successive generation would barely be recognizable to the previous. A liberal society where women dressed in the latest fashions after freedom from Britain would be hard pressed to recognize the fundamentalist garb worn by many believers today. We are lucky in that Rodenbeck has traced the roots of many words present in English today to Arabic or older tongues, all originating from Cairo and its environs:
fustian – qutn
dimity – Damietta
damask – Damascus
gauze – Gaza
muslin – Mosul
tabby – Atabi
mohair – mukhayyar ‘chosen’
chiffon – shafaf ‘transparent’
crimson – kirmiz
azure – azraq
blouse – Pelusium
camisole, chemise – qamis
ream = ruzma
sash – shash
sequin – sikka
mattress – matraha
sofa – suffa
jar – jarra
camphor – kafur
syrup – sharab
sherbet – sharbat
sugar – sukkar
candy – qandi
cinnabar – zunjufr
caraway – karawiya
carob – kharrub
cumin – kammun
sesame – simsim
magazine – makhzan ‘storehouse’
arsenal – dar al-sina’a ‘House of Industry’
tarriff – tarifa
admiral – amir al-bahr ‘Lord of the Sea’
almanac – al-manakh
carafe – gharrafa
elixir – al-iksir
atttar – itr
jasmine – yasmin
zenith = samat
massage – masaha
drub – daraba
mizzen – mizan ‘balance’
lute – al-’ud
The list goes on and on, and trust me, you’ll love this book even if you’re not interested in etymology at all.
ISBN: 0-330-33709-2
