Maqaduniya

Mokattam Hills near Cairo

Maqaduniya (Arabic: مقدونية) is a region in Medieval Egypt comprising Fustat, Ain Shams, Giza and Memphis.[1]

Name

It is unknown if Egyptian Maqaduniya is related to Balkan region of the same name.

Yaqut al-Hamawi in his Kitāb Mu'jam al-Buldān says:

"Maqaduniya is the name of Misr in Ancient Greek."[2]

Paul Casanova connects Maqaduniya to one of the Ancient Egyptian names of Memphis – Makha-to-ui (Ancient Egyptian: Mḫꜣ.t-Tꜣ.wy, lit. 'Scales of the Two Lands', reconstructed pronunciation: møʔχəˈtoːw).

It could be also related to the name of Mokattam Hills which Casanova derives from a denomination of the compound Heliopolite deity (Hor)-em-akhet-Atum (Horus of the Horizon–Atum), the compound which is also present in one of the Sphinx's names – Harmachis (Coptic: ϩⲁⲣⲙⲁϣⲓ Harmashi).[3]

References

  1. ^ al-Maqdisī, Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr. De Goeje (ed.). Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Ma'rafat al-Aqalim. Leiden: Brill. pp. 193–194.
  2. ^ al-Hamawi, Yaqut (1866–73). Wüstenfeld (ed.). Mu'jam al-Buldān (IV ed.). Leipzig. p. 602.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Casanova, Paul. "Les noms coptes du Caire et localités voisines". BIFAO. 1: 139–224.