The Woman From Tantoura (44 page)

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.”