Capital City Origins ~ Asia Part 1

Our third continent on our journey around the globe, (sorry flat-earthers, but I don't believe in that theory), and we are heading into Asia. From the Levant to the Land of the Rising Sun, Asia is the largest and most populous continent. It's climates range from arctic and sub-arctic in Siberia to tropical in India and the South East.

We shall start our journey in Yemen and continue through the Middle East to the Mediterranean Sea. Don't worry, Cyprus is the first country in Part 2 !

So now that my dhow has docked in Aden after it's perilous journey across the Red Sea, we shall set out on our camel to our first capital.....

Although Sana'a is still technically the capital of Yemen, all government departments have been moved to Aden temporarily since 2015 after the Houthi occupation.

The name Aden, by the way, comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "blissful" or "prosperous".

Anyway, back to Sana'a. According to legend, the city was founded by Shem, son of Noah, and it is claimed that Cain and Abel are buried within the city. The name derives from the Sabaic language and means "well fortified".

SANA'A = WELL FORTIFIED

Muscat has been known since the 1st century AD, and has been an important city on the trade routes across the Indian Ocean.

There is some dispute over the name's origins. Some say it derives from the Arabic moscha meaning "inflated hide", while others claim it means an "anchorage", whilst still more people think it comes from Old Persian meaning "strong scented".

Personally, I think the "anchorage" theory is the most likely.

MUSCAT = ANCHORAGE (or INFLATED HIDE or STRONG SCENTED)

Located partly on an island in the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is the UAE's second largest city after Dubai. There is archaeological evidence to suggest the area has been inhabited since the third millenium BC.

It's name translates from the Arabic Abu meaning "father" and Dhabi meaning "Gazelle". Thought to have come from the many gazelles in the area, Abu Dhabi therefore means "Father of Gazelles"

ABU DHABI = FATHER OF GAZELLES

Over 80% of Qatar's population live in Doha, the city was founded in 1820 as a suburb of the town of Al Bidda, but quickly took over the area. It was declared the capital in 1971 when the nation became independent from the United Kingdom.

According to Qatar's Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Doha originated from the Arabic word dohat meaninf "roundness", refering to the rounded bays on the nearby coastline.

DOHA = ROUNDNESS

Everytime I hear the name of this city I want to sing "Doo doo be doo do" in a Muppetesque way. Sorry, got carried away a bit there. Let's get back on track.

Manama (doo doo be doo do) has long been an imprtant trading city under the control of various nations. From the Persians and Portugese to most recently the British up until 1971 when Bahrain became independent.

It's name comes from the Arabic word al-manama meaning "place of dreams"

MANAMA = PLACE OF DREAMS

Riyadh is one of those annoying places in the Jetpunk world that leaves a stray letter in the answer box on some quizzes. I've lost count of the times I've kept typing and not realised the "h" is still there and I've wasted half a minute!. Sorry, stop moaning, toowise!

Built in the middle of the An-Nafud desert, Riyad(h) dates back to around 1600 and it's name reflects the oasises oasiss oases that it was built around. It's name comes from the Arabic al-riyad meaning "Gardens"

RIYADH = GARDENS

Founded in 1613 as a fishing village, Kuwait City rapidly grew into a major trading port for routes to Baghdad and the Indian sub-continent. It also has a long established major ship building industry.

The name is thought to have come from an Arabic word with roots in the Hindustani language, kut meaning "fortress"

KUWAIT CITY = FORTRESS CITY

Sited near to the ancient city of Babylon, the area around Baghdad has been inhabited for many millenia. The name pre-dates the Islamic religion and was originally the name of a persian village.

Modern scholars tend to favour the etymology from the old Persian words bagh and dad meaning "God" and "given" respectively.

BAGHDAD = GOD GIVEN

Although there is evidence dating back to Neolithic times, and despite considerable growth during and after Roman occupation, Amman was virtually abandoned from the 15th century until the Ottoman Empire sent refugees there in 1878.

It's name harks back to around the 13th century BC, when the area was inhabited by the Ammonite tribes. They named it Rabat Amman meaning "Capital of the Ammonites". Eventually the Rabat was dropped leaving Amman.

AMMAN = CITY OF AMMONITES

Jerusalem is thought to be one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to three of the major religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Both Israel and Palestine claim it as their capital city.

Despite it's turbulent past, (destroyed twice, beseiged 23 times and captured numerous times), Jerusalem remains controversial to this day with it's occupation of Palestinian land.

The name is thought to have originated as "Foundation of the god Shalem" in the Bronze Age

JERUSALEM = FOUNDATION OF THE GOD SHALEM

Thought to be the oldest continously inhabited city in the world and the oldest capital city. It was the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate in 661 AD, but was a city since the second millenium BC.

The name Damascus has its origins in Greek and the Qumranic language, Darmaseq, meaning "well watered land"

DAMASCUS = WELL WATERED LAND

Situated on a peninsula in the middle of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, Beirut was known as the "Paris of the Middle East" prior to the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

It's name comes from the translation of the Arabic Bayrut. The Arabic name derives from the Phoenician birot meaning "wells" refering to the areas accessible water table.

BEIRUT = WELLS

Asia Part 1. Done. Quite neatly, the first 12 of 48 capital cities covered the Arabian Peninsula. There are, as the mathematicians amongst you have already realised, three more Parts to Asia with twelve capitals in each. I seem to be settling into releasing a blog twice a week, usually one on a Monday, and the other on a Thursday or Friday, work commitments allowing.
As we get towards the midpoint of our global journey, my thoughts keep going to "what's next", but there's still the rest of Asia, Oceania, and South and North America to do yet. Who knows. Maybe I'll do a few of the larger world cities, or the 50 state capitals, or how some of the seas got their name, or overseas territories, or......well you get the idea!  Any suggestions please comment and I'll make a note and give it some thought. But for now, it's capital cities.

Next stop on our journey is........Cyprus. The controversial island. At least amongst the JetPunk community anyway. Is it Europe, is it Asia, is it a bird, is it a plane.......

 
Until next time, ciao, adios, au revoir and auf weidersehen......