Rain over Baghdad: A Novel of Iraq (64 page)

al-Khalij
: “The Gulf;” newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates.

Kibasha:
Small, artificial islands or platforms made of reeds on which the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq live.

Majallat al-Mar’a al-Iraqiya
: “The Iraqi Woman’s Magazine.”

Majlis:
“Place to sit”; used to designate the house of Ali (the first Shi‘i imam) in Kufa.

Maqam:
A specific melody type in Arabic music, which provides a framework for improvisation.

Maqamat al-Hariri:
A virtuosic work of fifty anecdotes in art prose, written by the eleventh-century Iraqi author al-Hariri.

Masgouf:
Seasoned, grilled carp; sometimes considered the national dish of Iraq.

Mashuf: A
canoe used by the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq.

Mawwal:
A genre of Arabic song which often includes improvisation, and is frequently mournful.

Mugamma‘:
A very large government office building at the heart of the Egyptian bureaucracy, located in Tahrir Square in Cairo.

Mumbar:
Stuffed intestines (a kind of sausage).

Pacheh:
A dish made from the head and feet of a sheep.

Rose al-Yusuf
: A woman’s name, used as the name of a magazine (and later, also a newspaper) founded in 1925; originally it was progressive.

Sa
‘
idi:
Someone from Upper (southern) Egypt. Sa‘idis are proverbial for being strong and clever but simple, and they are often the butt of ethnic jokes.

Samun bread:
Traditional Arabic flat bread.

Sawt al-Arab
: “Voice of the Arabs”; an extremely influential radio station during the period of Abdel Nasser, broadcasting from Cairo to the rest of the Arab world.

Sawt al-Fallah
: “Voice of the Peasant”; an Iraqi radio station broadcasting from Baghdad.

Sawt al-Uruba
: “Voice of Arabism”; an Egyptian opposition radio station broadcast by Iraqi radio during the period of President Sadat.

Sayyida Zaynab, Shubra
: Lower-class neighborhoods of Cairo.

Shabka:
The groom’s gift to the bride, from a simple wedding band to a collection of jewelry, sometimes very expensive.

The Shahada:
The attestation of the oneness of God and mission of Muhammad; reciting it is one of the five pillars of Islam. Used colloquially in many different contexts, not all of them serious.

Sharbat:
Akin to sherbet; a sweet fruit drink served chilled.

Sirma:
A form of embroidery characterized by a satin stitch in gold.

Sitt:
“Lady”; a polite form of address to a woman.

al-Tagammu
‘: An Egyptian socialist political party.

Tante:
“Aunt,” in French; a respectful form of address to an older woman.

Tariq al-Shaab
: “The People’s Path;” newspaper published by the communist party.

al-Thawra
: “The Revolution;” Ba‘th Party official daily newspaper.

Usta:
A form of address used for a foreman or an overseer, or for someone in a lower-ranking job, such as a mechanic or taxi driver.

Ustaz, Ustaza:
Respectful forms of address to a professor, teacher, or other professional (respectively, to a male or female).

Zaghruda ululation:
Women’s long trills of joy, marking happy occasions such as weddings.

Zakat:
The “alms tax” required yearly of all Muslims, the payment of which is one of the pillars of Islam. It is roughly 2.5 percent of one’s assets held for more than a year.

Zamalek
: Upscale neighborhood of Cairo.

Zifta Repubic:
A town in Egypt that declared its independence after Britain expelled Saad Zaghlul and other leaders of the 1919 revolution.