O Jerusalem
Laurie R. King
MARY RUSSELL-SHERLOCK HOLMES 05
Other Mystery Novels by Laurie R. King
Mary Russell Novels
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice
A Monstrous Regiment of Women
A Letter of Mary
The Moor
Kate Martinelli Novels
A Grave Talent
To Play the Fool
With Child
and
A Darker Place
For Dorothy Nicholl,
and in memory of Donald,
with love and with gratitude
Arabic Words and Phrases
abayya a robe worn over a long skirt or loose trousers and shirt
afreet a demon or troublesome imp
agahl a heavy ropelike wrap that holds the kuffiyah on the head
aleikum es-salaam a greeting (response to salaam aleikum)
bakshish a payment, tip, bribe, or donation
burkah a concealing woman’s garment
effendi an honorary address
fellah/fellahin peasant, countryman
firengi a foreigner, a “Frank”
Ghor the low-lying Jordan River valley
imam Muslim religious leader
insh’allah a saying: if it is God’s will
kuffiyah a loose headcloth
laban a drink of sour milk or diluted yogurt
maalesh a saying: oh, well…
muezzin the man who calls the faithful to prayer from a mosque
mukhtar headman of a village
mullah a Muslim religious leader
narghile a water pipe
saj curved sheet of steel used to cook flat bread over a fire
salaam aleikum a greeting: peace be with you
sitt Mrs, Madam
souk or suq bazaar
wadi water-cut valley, often dry but for sudden floods
wallah! an expression of surprise: by God!
ya walud an expression of greeting or to call attention
A Note About Chapter Headings
Baedeker’s guide to
Palestine and Syria, 1912 edition
The Muqaddimah
(Preface and Book One) of the sweeping History written by the brilliant fourteenth-century Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun. These quotations have been reworded slightly for the sake of brevity by the present editor.
Helen Waddell, The Desert Fathers
The Holy Qur’an
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its cunning.
PSALM 137:5
