Return of the Spirit
Page 39
fuul midammis: Stewed broad beans and often lentils mashed with oil and lemon juice.
fuul nabit: Sprouted broad beans soaked in water before cooking.
ghurayba: Egyptian shortbread.
gibna arish: See cottage cheese.
Hanbali: Adjective or noun for one of the most conservative “schools” or traditions of Islamic law and theology.
Hanim: A female title, like Ms., but which appears after the first name.
Hijaz-kar: One of the melodic phrases or tetrachords used for improvisation in Arab music; said to have been popularized in Egypt by Abduh al-Hamuli.
Husayn: Martyred son of Ali and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
jilbab: Long tunic or ankle-length shirt.
kantar: An Egyptian unit of measurement that equals 44.928 kilograms.
Al-Khalij Street: Built on a filled-in waterway in Cairo, it was subsequently widened to become Port Said Street.
Khamsin: Springtime dust-laden wind in Egypt.
kofta: Spiced meatballs.
lentils in a cloak (‘ads bi gibba matbukh): Brown lentils stewed with onions and garlic.
Mihyar al-Daylami: Abu al-Hasan Mihyar ibn Marzawayh al-Daylami, Buyid era poet, a convert to Islam, d. AD 1037.
minin: Thin rectangular flavored biscuit.
Moret, Alexandre (1868–1938): French Egyptologist.
nina: Respectful way of addressing an older female relative, grandmother, or mother.
Omdurman, Battle of: On September 2, 1898, Anglo-Egyptian forces defeated the Mahdists at Omdurman, killing and wounding thousands of people.
Pure Lady, Mighty Lady: See Sayyida Zaynab bint Ali.
riyal: Monetary unit that equals twenty piastres.
Sa’d Zaghlul (1857–1927): Egyptian nationalist leader whose exile was a catalyst for the 1919 revolution.
Sayyida Zaynab bint Ali: A granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad and patron saint of the section of Cairo where much of the action transpires.
shabshaba spells: A woman’s ritual that includes an incantation and rapping the genitals with a slipper.
sister: In Cairo dialect the expression yakhti can be a way for a woman to address a woman, an exclamation meaning “How cute,” or merely a catchphrase, such as “like” in US teenager slang.
Suq al-Kanto: Flea market.
ta‘miya: Falafil bean cakes; in Egypt they are made with dried broad beans.
Throne Verse: Qur’an, al-Baqara [The Cow], 2:255.
Thursday: In Arabic, the fifth day of the week; mentioning it with or without holding out a palm with five fingers outstretched may help ward off the hot, evil rays of envy.
tiza, teeza: Polite way to address an older woman.
Tubah: Fifth month of the Egyptian Coptic calendar, approximately January to early February.
Umda: A village headman or mayor.
Umm Hashim: See Sayyida Zaynab bint Ali.
ya-sin: The mysterious opening letters of sura 36 of the Qur’an that give the sura its name.
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* Taha Hussein (1889–1973) was an Egyptian author, literary critic, and university professor, and figurehead of Arabic literature.
* Muhammad Husayn Haykal (1888–1956) was an Egyptian author, poet, and politician.
* Holy Qur’an, “The Cow,” al-Baqara, 2:156.
* One of the many hadith, or authenticated sayings, of the Prophet Muhammad.
* Magdeleine: Sous les tilleuls by Alphonse Karr (1808–1890), translated into Arabic by Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876?–1924) as Majdulin, aw Taht Zilal az-Zayzafun (Magdeleine, or Under the Lindens). The letter quoted is in Majdulin, 5th ed. (Cairo: Al-Maktaba at-Tijariya al-Kubra, 1928), 172.