Sultan's Wife (53 page)
Authors: Jane Johnson
Nus-Nus â or Akuji, to give him his true name â is my own creation.
| abid | slave |
| afrit | devil |
| alhemdullillah | thanks be to God |
| bab | gate |
| babouches | leather slippers |
| baksheesh | literally âcharity', though usually cynically used to mean âbribe' |
| baraka | good luck |
| bukhari | the Black Guard |
| burnous | cloak |
| charaf | honour; also a term of affection |
| chicha | hookah pipe |
| Dar Kbira | Great Palace |
| djellaba | hooded robe |
| djinn | spirit of smokeless fire |
| Eid | feast |
| Fassi | from Fez |
| fkih | sir |
| funduq | guest house |
| hajib | vizier |
| hammam | steam bath |
| haram | forbidden |
| harem | women's private quarters |
| hijab | Islamic headscarf |
| insh'allah | if God wills it |
| kaid | senior civil servant, administrator |
| kasbah | fortress |
| khanjar | ceremonial dagger |
| kif | marijuana |
| koubba | domed, four-sided building, often a shrine |
| lalla | madam, honorative |
| ma'alema | teacher |
| marabout | holy man |
| matamore | slave pit |
| marhaban | welcome |
| mechoui | spit-roasted lamb |
| medina | old, walled part of city |
| Meknassi | from Meknes |
| mellah | âplace of salt', Jewish quarter |
| mezian | good |
| nus-nus | half-and-half |
| oud | Arabic lute |
| qadi | judge |
| qamis | loose leggings |
| qibla | direction of Mecca |
| rabab | Moroccan instrument |
| raïs | captain |
| ras al hanout | mixture of spices |
| Ribati | from Rabat |
| salaam aleikum | peace be upon you |
| shahada | profession of Islamic faith |
| Shaitan | Satan |
| sherif | descendant of the Prophet |
| sidi | sir, lord: honorative |
| smen | preserved butter |
| souq | market |
| sura | chapter of the Qur'an |
| tadelakt | specialist plaster |
| Tafraouti | from Tafraout |
| tajine | earthenware cooking vessel, and the casserole made in it |
| taleb | scholar |
| tarboush | a âfez': hard red hat |
| zellij | mosaic tile-work |
| zelliji | master tiler |
| zumeta | rich paste of nuts and seeds |
With thanks to my wonderful agents, Danny and Heather Baror, for all that they do; to Emma and Philippa for feedback and support; to Venetia and Will at Viking Penguin for their passion and care; to Donna for her exacting standards. And to Eugène Delacroix, whose âPortrait of a Turk in a Turban', glimpsed across a Moroccan restaurant, started a lively discussion and inspired the character of Nus-Nus.
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