Hawaga
(f.
hawagaya
)
Egyptian term for a foreigner.
Herodotus
Ancient Greek historian, known as ‘the father of history’. Lived
c
.485–
425BC
.
Hijab
headscarf worn by observant Muslim women.
Horemheb
Last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Ruled
c
.1319–1307.
Huppah
he ceremonial canopy beneath which a Jewish marriage takes place.
IDF
Israel Defence Force: the Israeli army.
Imbaba riots
An outbreak of murderous sectarian violence in the Imbaba district of Cairo in 2011, sparked when Muslims attacked a Coptic Christian church.
Imma
(pl.
immam
)
Headscarf or turban. Worn by men throughout Egypt.
Ingileezi
(f.
ingileezaya
)
English man/woman.
Inshallah
iterally, ‘God willing’.
Irgun
Full name Irgun Zvai Leumi (National Military Organization). Zionist right-wing paramilitary group operating in Mandate-era Palestine.
Jabotinsky, Ze’ev (Vladimir)
Right-wing Zionist leader and thinker. Lived 1880–1940.
Justine
Famous Cairo restaurant.
Kaddish
prayer recited by Jewish mourners.
Kadima
A centrist Israeli political party, established in 2005 by Ariel Sharon. Literally, ‘Forward’.
Kahane, Meir
Brooklyn-born Jewish extremist. Advocated forcible removal of all Arabs from the biblical land of Israel. Born 1932. Assassinated 1990.
Karkady
A drink made from an infusion of hibiscus petals, popular throughout Egypt.
Ken
#x2018;Yes’ in Hebrew.
Kharga
A large oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert.
Kingdom
The history of ancient Egypt covers almost 3,000 years, during which time there were three extended periods of national unity and powerful central government: the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms.
Kom Lolah
A village on the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor, near the temple of Medinet Habu.
Knesset
Literally, ‘assembly’. The Israeli parliament.
Krav Maga
An aggressive self-defence system developed in Israel by former boxer and wrestler Imi Lichtenfeld. Widely used by the Israeli security services.
Kubbeh
n Armenian dish: a deep-fried, sausage-shaped croquette stuffed with minced beef or lamb.
Kufr
ame given to those who do not follow Islam; ‘unbelievers’.
Labor
Centre-left, social democratic Israeli political party.
Late Period
Final period of ancient Egyptian history in which the country was governed by native rulers. Comprised Dynasties 25 to 30. Lasted 712–
332BC
, when Egypt was conquered by Alexander the Great.
Latke
otato pancake/patty.
Lazeez
#x2018;Delicious’ in Arabic.
Lider, Ivri
Gay Israeli pop singer.
Lieberman, Avigdor
Right-wing, nationalist Israeli politician. Founder of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party.
Likud
Literally, ‘Consolidation’. Centre-right Israeli political party; founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin.
Livni, Tzipi
Israeli (female) politician. Former leader of the Kadima Party. Born 1958.
Lo
ebrew for ‘no’.
Lucas, Alfred
English Egyptologist and conservator, member of the team responsible for the clearing of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Lived 1867–1945.
Maasiyahu
Prison in Ramle, central Israel.
Mabruk
rabic for ‘Congratulations’.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Hugely successful Israeli basketball and football club.
Mahata
rabic for ‘maze’.
Mahmoud, Karem
Popular Egyptian singer. Known as the ‘Melodious Knight’. Lived 1922–1965.
Mallory, George
English explorer and mountaineer who disappeared in 1924 while climbing Mount Everest. His body was discovered on the mountain in 1999.
Mandate era
Period from the end of World War One to 1948 when Palestine was governed by the British under a mandate from the League of Nations.
Maniak
ebrew for ‘arsehole’.
Magen David
iterally, ‘Shield of David’. A six-pointed star, one of the most recognizable symbols of Jewish identity.
Mahane Yehuda
Neighbourhood of Jerusalem with a famous covered market.
Malqata
Archaeological site on the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor. Formerly the palace of Eighteenth-Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III.
Manjet
Barque
Also known as the ‘Barque of Millions of Years’. The boat in which the sun god Ra crossed the sky once a day.
Matkot
opular ball game played in Israel, similar to beach tennis, in which two people hit a ball using wooden paddles. The word means ‘rackets’.
Mauristan
An area in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Mazel tov
ebrew for ‘good luck’. Used to express congratulations.
Mea Sharim
Neighbourhood in central Jerusalem. Home to a large ultra-Orthodox
Haredi
(
qv
) community.
Medinet Habu
Village on the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor. Site of the mortuary temple of Ramesses III.
Meir, Golda
Israeli politician and stateswoman. Served as Prime Minister 1969–1974. Lived 1898–1978.
Menatel
Egyptian telecommunications company.
Menorah
A seven-branched lamp used in the ancient temple of Jerusalem. One of the defining symbols of Judaism.
Merenptah
Nineteenth-Dynasty pharaoh. Ruled 1224–
1214BC
. Son of Ramesses II.
Meretz
Israeli left-wing political party.
Meshugganah
iddish for ‘crazy’, ‘mad’.
Mezuzah
iterally, ‘doorpost’. A small case containing verses from the biblical book of Deuteronomy. Attached to the doorways of Jewish homes.
Middle Kingdom
One of the three great Kingdoms of ancient Egypt. Comprising Dynasties 11 to 14, it lasted
c
.2040–
1640BC
.
Mishteret
ebrew for ‘police’.
Misr
rabic for Egypt. The full name is Junhuriyah Misr al-Arabiyah – the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Molocchia
reen leafy plant similar to spinach.
Moshav
n Israeli cooperative farm or agricultural community. Similar to a kibbutz.
Mossad
Also known as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations; Israel’s national intelligence agency. Renowned for its skill and ruthlessness.
Moulid
iterally, ‘birthday’. A traditional Egyptian festival celebrating the birth and life of a holy person.
Mounir, Mohammed
Egyptian singer and actor. Born 1954.
Mr Zol
Israeli supermarket.
Mubarak, Hosni
Former President of Egypt (1981–2011). Resigned following the Revolution of January 2011. Born 1928.
Muslim Brotherhood
Egyptian Islamist movement founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna. Its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, became the dominant force in Egyptian politics after winning 47 per cent of the seats in the Parliamentary elections of January 2012.
Nectanebo I
Thirtieth-Dynasty pharaoh. Ruled
c
.380–
362BC
.
Naqba
rabic for ‘disaster’, ‘catastrophe’. The word used by Palestinians to describe the impact of the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
Netanyahu, Benjamin (‘Bibi’)
Right-wing Israeli politician. Prime Minister since 2009 (he served an earlier term 1996–99).
Newberry, Percy Edward
English Egyptologist. Part of the team responsible for the clearance of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Lived 1869–1949.
New Kingdom
The last of the three great Kingdoms of ancient Egypt. Comprising the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties, it lasted
c.
1550–
1070BC
, and included some of the most famous pharaohs of Egyptian history, such as Tutankhamun and Ramesses II.
Noshech kariot
iterally, ‘pillow biter’. Derogatory Hebrew term for a gay man.
Nu be’emet
ebrew for ‘Come on!’, as in, ‘Come on, you can’t be serious!’
Opet Festival
Ancient Egyptian religious festival in which statues of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, the three patron deities of Thebes, were ceremonially paraded in a boat from Karnak to Luxor Temple.
Oslo Accords
Set of peace proposals between Israelis and Palestinians, negotiated in secret in Oslo and signed in Washington in 1993.
Park Heights
Upmarket district of Tel-Aviv.
Pendlebury, John Devitt Stringfellow
British Egyptologist and archaeologist. He excavated at Amarna. Shot by the Germans on Crete during World War Two.
Pe’ot
idelocks worn by ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.
Peres, Shimon
Israeli politician and statesman. Has twice served as Prime Minister of Israel (1984–1986 and 1995–1996) and in 2007 was elected President.
Petrie, William Matthew Flinders
Influential British Egyptologist and archaeologist. Established many of the basic ground rules of modern archaeology. Nicknamed ‘the father of pots’. Lived 1853–1942.
Petrie Museum
Attached to University College London. Contains some 80,000 objects from Egypt and the Sudan, one of the most important collections of such material in the world. Named after Egyptologist Flinders Petrie.
Pylon
Massive entrance or gateway standing in front of a temple.
Qa’ba
Cube-shaped shrine in Mecca, the holiest site in the Muslim world. It contains a stone believed to have been given by the Angel Gabriel to Abraham. All Muslims turn towards it when praying.
Qurnawis
nhabitants of the village of Shaykh Abd al-Qurna on the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor.
Qurn
Literally, ‘the horn’. Pyramid-shaped peak overlooking the Valley of the Kings.
Ramadan War
Arab name for the Yom Kippur war of 1973.
Ramesses I
First pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Ruled
c
.1307–
1306BC
.
Ramesses II
Nineteenth-Dynasty pharaoh. One of the greatest of all Egyptian rulers. Ruled
c
.1290–
1224BC
.
Ramesses III
Twentieth-Dynasty pharaoh. Ruled
c
.1194–
1163BC
. His mortuary temple at Medinet Habu is one of the most beautiful monuments in Egypt.
Ramesses VII
Twentieth-Dynasty pharaoh. Ruled
c
.1143–
1136BC
.
Ramesses IX
Twentieth-Dynasty pharaoh. Ruled
c
.1112–
1100BC
.
Rehaviya
Upmarket neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
River Oaks
Upmarket suburb of Houston.
Romema
A neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
Rosetta Stone
An ancient Egyptian stone stele inscribed with the same text in three different scripts: hieroglyphs, demotic (a cursive form of hieroglyphs) and Greek. Discovered near the town of Rosetta (Al-Rashid) in 1799, it provided the key to the deciphering of hieroglyphs. It has been on display in the British Museum since 1802.
Sabah el-khir
rabic for ‘Good morning’.
Sabra
ickname for a native Israeli. The
sabra
is a cactus plant and, like the cactus, Israelis are supposed to be prickly on the outside with a soft centre.
Safra Square
A square in central Jerusalem. Home to Jerusalem’s City Hall.
Saheb/Sahebi
rabic for ‘friend’/‘my friend’.
Saidee
A native of Upper (or southern) Egypt. Saidees tend to be darker-skinned than those from Lower (northern) Egypt.
Salafists
Ultra-conservative Islamic movement.
Salat
slamic daily prayers.
Salat al-Janazah
n Islamic funeral prayer.
Schwartze
iddish word for a black person.
Seer limoon
#x2018;Lemonade’.
Seminary
A religious school or college.