| Andalus | Islamic Spain |
| atabeg | high dignitary |
| banj | hashish |
| chogan | polo |
| dar al-hikma | public library |
| Dimask | Damascus |
| Franj | Franks or Crusaders from the West |
| ghazi | Islamic warrior |
| hadith | sayings of the Prophet Mohammed; the body of traditions about his life |
| hammam | baths |
| hashishin | assassins; members of the Shiite sect of that name |
| Ifriqiya | Africa |
| Isa | Jesus |
| Ka’aba | the sacred stone in Mecca |
| Kadi | a Muslim judge with extraordinary powers to preserve law and order in a city |
| al-Kuds | Arab name for Jerusalem |
| khamriyya | Bacchic ode to the joys of wine |
| khutba | the Friday sermon in the mosque |
| labineh | yoghurt or yoghurt-based drink |
| maidan | flat land for a playing field or a parade ground |
| mamluk | slave |
| Misr | Egypt |
| mi’zar | a large sheet-like wrap worn both as a mande and by pre-Islamic Arabs as a long loin cloth |
| Musa | Moses |
| mushrif | a controller of finances |
| qalima | the word of Allah |
| Rumi | Roman |
| saqalabi | a white slave |
| Sham | Syria |
| tamr | date wine |
| Yunani | Greek |