kufiyeh
: A traditional headcloth worn by men, often with a checkered pattern.
kunafa
: A dessert of cheese pastry soaked in a sweet syrup.
labneh
: A thick spread made from yogurt.
Laylat al-Qadr
: The night before 27 Ramadan when the first revelation of the Qur’an was made to Muhammad. It is believed to be a blessed night when God answers prayers.
lira
: Lebanese currency.
lukoum
: “Turkish Delight”; a gummy sweet made in various flavors and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
madafa
: A meeting room for the men of a village, and a place to receive guests.
maqlouba
: A Levantine dish of meat, rice, and vegetables, packed into a mold and then reversed onto a plate.
mufti
: A scholar of Islam qualified to rule on points of Islamic law.
mujaddara
: A Levantine dish of cooked lentils, rice, and onions.
mulukhiya
: Leaves of the mallow plant (related to okra), used to make a green-colored soup or stew in Egypt and the Levant.
musakhan
: A dish of chicken roasted on flatbread with sumac and saffron.
Naji al-Ali
: Palestinian cartoonist, sharply critical of Israel and
Arab regimes (1938–1987).
Phalange
: A right-wing, ultranationalist political and paramilitary organization in Lebanon, drawing most of its supporters from among the country’s Maronite Christians.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
: A secular, leftist revolutionary organization formed in 1967 from three smaller organizations, under the leadership of Dr. George Habbash, and known for airline hijackings and other high-profile acts in support of the Palestinian cause. It has been part of the umbrella organization of the PLO since 1968.
qumbaz
: A man’s long-sleeved garment, open in front and closed with a belt.
Saad Haddad
: Founder and head of the South Lebanon Army, allied with Israel (1936–84).
Sayyid Hasan (Nasrallah)
: Secretary General of the Shii organization Hezbollah after 1992, and leader of the Lebanese resistance.
Second Bureau
: Lebanese intelligence service.
Shahada
: Affirmation of the unity of God and prophethood of Muhammad (one of the five pillars of Islam).
Shatir Hasan
: A hero of traditional tales.
sheikh
: Literally “elder”; used for authoritative Islamic religious figures, as well as for headmen of villages and towns.
sitt
: “Lady”; sometimes used as a title. As a noun, it can also designate a grandmother.
Teta
: An affectionate name for a grandmother.
thawb
: “Dress”; often specifically a traditional, floor-length, long-sleeved dress.
Umm Kulthum
: An enormously popular Egyptian singer (ca. 1900–75).
Yaammaa
: An exclamation indicating how much something is, that it is too much.
yalla
: “Let’s go,” or “Get going.”