Showing 201 to 267 of 267.
- RIBAinterest or usury, which is haram (sinful) according to sharia law.
- RIYALThe official currency of Qatar, divided into 100 dirhams.
- RUBAIA quatrain in classical Arabic, Persian, Turkic or Urdu poetry.
- RUBAIYATplural of rubai
- RYOTA farmer or tiller of the soil.
- SABALAny palm of the genus Sabal of American dwarf fan palms; usually called palmetto.
- SABKHAAn area of coastal salt flats, especially in North Africa and Arabia.
- SAFARIA trip into any undeveloped area to see, photograph or to hunt wild animals in their own environment.
- SAHIBA term of respect for a white European or other man of rank in colonial India.
- SAKERA falcon (Falco cherrug) native of Southern Europe and Asia.
- SALEPA starch or jelly made out of plants in the Orchidaceae family, such as early-purple orchids (Orchis mascula).
- SATINA cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull back. (The same weaving technique applied to cotton produces cloth termed sateen).
- SEIFA sand dune that elongates parallel to the prevailing wind.
- SEQUINAny of various small gold coins minted in Italy and Turkey.
- SERDABA sealed chamber in an Ancient Egyptian tomb that held the ka statue of a deceased person, having a small slit or hole to allow the soul of the deceased to move about freely.
- SHADOOFA device used since ancient times in the Middle East to raise water from a well or other low point, consisting of a pivoted rod with a bucket on one end and a counterweight on the
- SHAITANa demon/devil; or evil jinn.
- SHARIFA traditional Arab tribal title for one who serves as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets.
- SHERBETA dessert of frozen fruit juice with a dairy product such as milk added; a sorbet with dairy ingredients.
- SHROFFA provider of financial services, especially a small-scale independent banker or money changer or a local expert at detecting bad coin.
- SHUFTIA brief glance.
- SHURAA body that provides counsel to a leader.
- SLOUGHIAn ancient breed of domesticated dog, specifically a member of the sighthound family.
- SORBETFrozen fruit juice, sometimes mixed with egg whites, eaten as dessert or between courses of a meal.
- SOUKAlternative spelling of souq.
- SOUKEDAlternative spelling of souq.
- SOUKINGAlternative spelling of souq.
- SPINACHA particular edible plant, Spinacia oleracea, or its leaves.
- SUDDA floating mass of plant matter, such as reeds, which obstructs the passage of boats.
- SUHURA pre-dawn breakfast during the Ramadan fasting.
- SURAAny of the 114 chapters of the Quran.
- TABBYA kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
- TABLAA pair of tuned hand drums, used in various musical genres of the Indian subcontinent, that are similar to bongos.
- TABORA small drum. In traditional music, a small drum played with a single stick, leaving the player's other hand free to play a melody on a three-holed pipe.
- TAHINIA paste made from ground sesame seeds, and used to make hummus, baba ganoush, etc.
- TALAQAn Islamic divorce, sanctioned by the Qur'an.
- TALCOriginally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referr
- TAMBOURA small shallow drum. A drummer.
- TAMBOURINEA percussion instrument consisting of a small, usually wooden, hoop closed on one side with a drum frame and featuring jingling metal disks on the tread; it is most often held in t
- TARBOOSHA red felt or cloth cap with a tassel, worn in the Arab world; a fez.
- TARIFFA system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a list of such duties, or the duties themselves.
- TASBIHA form of dhikr that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences in glorification of Allah in Islam by saying "Subḥānallāh" (glorified is Allah).
- TOBACCOAny plant of the genus Nicotiana.
- TOQUEA type of hat with no brim.
- TURMERICAn Indian plant (Curcuma longa), with aromatic rhizomes, part of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).
- ULEMAplural of alim; the guardians of legal and religious tradition in Islam; clerics.
- UMRAHA minor hajj, a lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, other than at the time of the hajj.
- USNEAAny lichen of the genus Usnea.
- VAKEELAn attorney, lawyer or agent.
- VAKILAlternative form of vakeel.
- VALIAlternative form of wali.
- VILAYETA province, particularly the first-level administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire.
- VIZIERA high-ranking official or minister in an Islamic government, especially in the Ottoman Empire.
- WADIA valley, gully, or stream bed in northern Africa and southwest Asia that remains dry except during the rainy season.
- WALIA provincial governor in certain Muslim contexts.
- WAQFAn endowment of land given for religious or charitable purposes.
- WAZIRVizier.
- WUDUA ritual washing of the forearms, head, and feet, required after minor impurity, frequently performed immediately before prayer.
- WUDUSA ritual washing of the forearms, head, and feet, required after minor impurity, frequently performed immediately before prayer.
- XEBECA small two-masted, and later three-masted, Mediterranean transport ship with an overhanging bow and stern.
- ZAMOUSEA West African buffalo, Syncerus caffer brachyceros, with short horns and large ears.
- ZAPTIEHA Turkish policeman.
- ZARFAn ornamental container designed to hold a coffee cup or teacup and insulate it from the hand of the drinker.
- ZERDAThe fennec (Vulpes zerda).
- ZERIBAA fence of the type once commonly improvised in northeastern Africa from thornbushes.
- ZIRCONA mineral occurring in tetragonal crystals, usually of a brown or grey colour and consisting of silica and zirconia.
- ZOUAVEa French soldier in the Union army of the Unites States civil war, or a Union soldier in a French soldier's uniform.