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Technical Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Dakhma  Literally means 'tower of silence,' and refers to a tower with a flat roof that is used to expose corpses.   
Damascening  Technique of decorating metal with silver or gold inlay.   
Dar   A place where a lot of movement takes place. The word dar is used for a wide variety of buildings, however the most common usage of the term is to mean a house.    
Darabzin   An Arabized Persian word meaning a balustrade.    
Dar al-Hadith  Educational institute for the study of Islamic hadith, Prophetic traditions.   
Dar al-Harb  Refers to territories of war. This usually meant territories bordering Dar al-Islam that did not hold a peace treaty with Muslims.   
Dar al-Huffaz  Institute for the study of Qur'an recitation.   
Dar al-Imara  The building that houses the seat of authority. It is usually the palace of the governor.   
Dar al-Islam  Refers to Muslim lands where sovereignty of Islamic law applies.    
Dar al-Shifa  See Bimaristan.   
Darb  Arabic for alley or path.    
Darb Khayt  A term used by craftsmen for the geometric patterns they carve on wood, marble, or any other medium.    
Darih  Means cenotaph but can also mean the tomb as a whole.    
Darwish   Dervish. Persian for poor and means a Sufi. The Arabic equivalent is faqir.    
Dayma  Kitchen or guard house in the fields.   
Dervish  See Darwish.   
Dhikr  Literally means remembering or reminding. In general religious practice this denotes ways of reminding oneself of God, be it through prayer, praise, supplication, etc. It can also refer to the actual litanies and prayers of remembering, as well as the regular activity of remembrance, particularly in a Sufi context.   
Dhimmi   People of the book; Christians, Jews, Sabaeans, Zoroastrians, Hindus and Buddhists. The term was used to describe those who had to pay the jizya (poll tax) and who were not forced to convert because they were adherents of other religions, unlike idolators.    
Dihliz   An Arabized Persian word meaning corridor.    
Dikka   An elevated small structure with a flat top on which a person would be seated. Some are found in religious buildings for those reciting the Qur’an or some in markets for sellers to display their goods. They are made of wood, stone or marble. In religious buildings it can be referred to as dikkat al-mubaligh.    
Divan  See Diwan.   
Divani  Arabic script, primarily used in the administrative documents of the Ottoman Sultan's chancery.   
Diwan  Originating from Persian, this term refers to a reception chamber, particularly in a palace or residence. It later came to mean ministry or government office. It can also mean anthology of poems placed in alphabetical order.    
Diwan al-'Amm  Public reception hall for public audiences.    
Diwan al-Khass  Private reception hall for private audiences.   
Doublure  Inside lining of book cover; usually ornamental.   
Durka  A Persian composite word; dur meaning door and ka meaning place. A vestibule which is found in all kinds of buildings especially houses to ensure privacy.    
Durqa‘a   A covered small court (sahn) which interspaces two iwans or more. It is an essential element of a qa‘a, and thus an important feature of Burji Mamluk architecture.    
Duwaira  Mausoleum or shrine.   
Duwar   A colloquial word derived from dar used in the Mamluk documents to mean court or garden.    
Duwira  Small courtyard.