Glossary

abaya: a black cloak worn by conservative Iraqi women

Allahu Akbar: an Arabic phrase meaning “Allah is greater.” In Iraq and several other Muslim countries, the phrase expresses a range of meanings, not all of them religious. Here it merely denotes jubilation.

athan: the call for prayer

bember: a fruit whose stone is covered with a sweet and sticky pulp

Bibi: “Grandma” in Iraqi Arabic

delillol: the opening word of a common lullaby in Iraq; little is known of its origin or meaning

dellak: a public bath masseur

dinar: the Iraqi currency

dishdasha: a long, loose garment worn mostly by men

egal: usually a two-tier round headwear used to hold the kaffiyeh in place

Eid: religious celebration; Muslims have two major Eids

fils: the smallest Iraqi coin

futa: cloth usually worn by women in Iraq to cover the head and torso

habbet Baghdad: a skin infection afflicting Iraqi children as recently as the 1950s that left a round scar the size of a U.S. quarter

halal: foods prepared in accordance with the Islamic code of law known as Sharia

hussainiyya: a small Shia mosque

ibdalak: a word in Iraq Jewish dialect meaning “I offer myself in sacrifice for you”

Imam Ali bin Abi Talib: the central figure of Shiism, recognized by Muslims as a pious caliph

kushki: soup made with kushk, or bulgur wheat dough kneaded with dried yogurt

lawash: very thin bread

madrasa: a Muslim school or college often attached to a mosque

misbaha: a string of prayer beads, among Muslims the equivalent of a rosary

muqri: the person who recites the Qurʾan, usually as a profession

riq: a big, plain tambourine

sayyid: the spiritual leader of a Sufi order

Shafiʿi: one of the four major Sunni doctrines

Sharia: code of Islamic law

Shubayk, Lubayk: in Arab folkloric tales, phrase blurted out by the genie as it emerges from the magic lamp, implying its readiness to fulfill the desires of the master of the lamp

takya: the lodging of a Sufi order

tannur: a small clay oven

Tantal: in Iraqi folklore, a creature of massive height and playful temperament

tasht: a big bathing basin

tbaGat: in Iraqi Arabic, derogatory term for a person with faltering judgment

tibeet: a Jewish Sabbath dish of rice and stuffed chicken, slow cooked on the Sabbath eve

Ya satir!: an Arabic phrase that implies the seeking of refuge in Allah’s protection