Arabic City Name Generator

Five names a press in Arabic script: real cities with their meanings, and the words place names are built from.

Arabic City Name Generator

  1. AdenYemen. In Arabic the word means residence. In Arabic: عَدَنْ
  2. BaladCountry or land, and also a town. In Arabic: بلد
  3. ZarqaJordan. The blue one. In Arabic: الزرقاء
  4. AynEye, and also a spring of water. On this list: Al Ain. In Arabic: عين
  5. DohaQatar. From a word meaning roundness, after the rounded bays of the coast. In Arabic: الدوحة

Next step Draw more Arabic wordsDraw a city anywhere in the world

How it works

This Arabic city name generator invents nothing. It deals real cities from Morocco to Oman, each written in Arabic with the meaning or origin its Wikipedia article gives, and the common words that Arabic place names are built from.

Read the full guide

What a card shows

A city card gives the name in Arabic script, the country and what the name means: Riyadh is the meadows, Cairo the vanquisher, Kenitra the little bridge. Where scholars disagree, the card says so. The menu under the button keeps the draw to the Gulf and Arabia, the Levant and Iraq, the Nile or the Maghreb.

The words names are built from

Open More filters and choose Place-name words for the parts that recur across the map: abu, father of; ras, headland; ayn, spring; dar, house; bab, gate; jabal, mountain. Ras Al Khaimah is headland of the tent, and Abu Dhabi is father of the gazelle.

Tips
  • Many of these names are older than Arabic: Beirut is Phoenician, Tangier is Berber and Latakia is Greek.

Questions and answers

What do Arabic city names mean?

Many describe the place. Riyadh means the meadows, Al Ain the spring, Zarqa the blue one and Mosul the linking point, and Doha comes from a word for roundness, after its bays. Others keep an older name from Phoenician, Greek, Berber or Coptic.

What does Abu mean in a city name?

Abu means father of, so Abu Dhabi is father of the gazelle. Umm, mother, works the same way: Omdurman is mother of Durman.

Does this Arabic city name generator make names up?

No. Every city is real, and every meaning is taken from the city's own Wikipedia article on the day the list was built. The page invents no Arabic-sounding names, and nobody fluent in Arabic has reviewed it.

Which countries do the cities come from?

Countries where Arabic is an official language, in four regions: the Gulf and Arabia, the Levant and Iraq, Egypt and Sudan on the Nile, and the Maghreb from Libya to Morocco.

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All 106 names

The Gulf and Arabia 22

  • Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates. Father of the gazelle. In Arabic: أَبُو ظَبِي
  • Aden Yemen. In Arabic the word means residence. In Arabic: عَدَنْ
  • Ajman United Arab Emirates. Related to a word for foreigner, because Persians once lived in the area. In Arabic: عجمان
  • Al Ain United Arab Emirates. The spring. In Arabic: ٱلْعَيْن
  • Al Rayyan Qatar. From a word for irrigation: low ground that kept plants supplied with water. In Arabic: الريان
  • Doha Qatar. From a word meaning roundness, after the rounded bays of the coast. In Arabic: الدوحة
  • Dubai United Arab Emirates. The origin is debated: one theory reads it as money, another as two brothers. In Arabic: دُبَيّ
  • Hajjah Yemen. By tradition named after Hajjah Ibn Aslam. In Arabic: حَجَّة
  • Isa Town Bahrain. Named after Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, emir of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999. In Arabic: مدينة عيسى
  • Jidhafs Bahrain. Coast of Hafs, in one historian's reading. In Arabic: جدحفص
  • Lusail Qatar. From al wassail, a plant that grows in the area. In Arabic: لوسيل
  • Manama Bahrain. Said by some to mean the place of rest, or the place of dreams. In Arabic: اَلْمَنَامَة
Show all 106 names (94 more)

The Gulf and Arabia, continued

  • Mecca Saudi Arabia. The origin of the name is obscure. The official spelling is Makkah. In Arabic: مَكَّة
  • Medina Saudi Arabia. Before the advent of Islam the city was known as Yathrib. In Arabic: ٱلْمَدِيْنَة ٱلْمُنَوَّرَة
  • Mukalla Yemen. From a verb meaning to preserve or to nurture: a safe harbor. In Arabic: ٱلْمُكَلَّا
  • Najran Saudi Arabia. In Arabic, invincible lock, according to one scholar. In Arabic: نجران
  • Ras Al Khaimah United Arab Emirates. Headland of the tent. In Arabic: رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة
  • Riyadh Saudi Arabia. The meadows. In Arabic: الرِّيَاض
  • Rustaq Oman. From a Middle Iranian word meaning district. In Arabic: ٱلرُّسْتَاق
  • Sanaa Yemen. From a Sabaic word for fortress. In Arabic: صَنْعَاء
  • Sharjah United Arab Emirates. Most often linked to sharq, east. The origin is not certain. In Arabic: ٱلشَّارقَة
  • Taif Saudi Arabia. From a root that could translate as wanderer or roamer. Its older name was Wajj. In Arabic: اَلطَّائِفُ

The Levant and Iraq 19

  • Aleppo Syria. Perhaps from a Semitic root for milk, or for the color white. In Arabic: حَلَب
  • Aley Lebanon. High place, in Arabic and in Aramaic. In Arabic: عاليه
  • Amman Jordan. Named for the Ammonites, whose capital the city was. In Arabic: عَمَّان
  • Baalbek Lebanon. Called Heliopolis under the Roman Empire. In Arabic: بَعْلَبَكّ
  • Baghdad Iraq. The name is older than Islam and its origin is disputed. In Arabic: بَغْدَاد
  • Basra Iraq. The overwatcher in Arabic. Others derive it from an Aramaic word for a place of huts. In Arabic: ٱلْبَصْرَة
  • Beirut Lebanon. From a Phoenician word meaning wells. In Arabic: بيروت
  • Damascus Syria. Known in Syria as ash-Sham and, poetically, as the City of Jasmine. In Arabic: دِمَشْق
  • Deir ez-Zor Syria. Deir is a monastery. In Syriac the name means small habitation. In Arabic: دَيْرُ ٱلزَّوْرِ / دَيْرُ ٱلزُّور
  • Erbil Iraq. Arbela in Latin, from the Assyrian name and, before it, the Sumerian Urbilum. In Arabic: أربيل
  • Homs Syria. An Arabic form of the Latin name Emesus. In Arabic: حِمْص
  • Kirkuk Iraq. Known from the Seleucid Empire by an Aramaic name meaning citadel of the house of Seleucid. In Arabic: كركوك
  • Latakia Syria. From Laodikeia: Seleucus I named it in honor of his mother, Laodice. In Arabic: اللَّاذِقِيَّة
  • Mosul Iraq. Linking point, or loosely, junction city. In Arabic: الموصل
  • Najaf Iraq. A high place around which water gathers, according to Ibn Manzur. In Arabic: ٱلنَّجَف
  • Sidon Lebanon. The Phoenician name probably meant fishery or fishing town. In Arabic: صيدا
  • Tartus Syria. From a Greek name meaning the town facing Aradus. In Arabic: طَرْطُوس
  • Zahlé Lebanon. Disputed: perhaps from the Arabic name for Saturn, perhaps from a root meaning to slip. In Arabic: زَحْلة
  • Zarqa Jordan. The blue one. In Arabic: الزرقاء

The Nile: Egypt and Sudan 10

  • Alexandria Egypt. Founded by Alexander the Great on the earlier Egyptian settlement of Rhacotis. In Arabic: الإسكندرية
  • Asyut Egypt. From early Egyptian by way of Coptic: guardian. In Arabic: أسيوط
  • Cairo Egypt. The Vanquisher, or the Conqueror. In Arabic: القاهرة
  • El-Gadarif Sudan. From a phrase meaning he who has finished selling or buying should leave. In Arabic: القضارف
  • Khartoum Sudan. By one folk etymology, from a word for the narrow strip of land between the Blue and White Niles. In Arabic: الخرطوم
  • Mansoura Egypt. The Victorious, after a battle of 1250. In Arabic: المنصورة
  • Omdurman Sudan. Mother of Durman, though who she was is unknown. In Arabic: أُمّ دُرمان
  • Port Said Egypt. The French word port joined to Said, the ruler of Egypt when the name appeared in 1855. In Arabic: بورسعيد
  • Suez Egypt. From a form of the Arabic word for licorice. In Arabic: السويس
  • Tanta Egypt. A changed form of its ancient Coptic name, Tanitad. In Arabic: طنطا

The Maghreb 22

  • Agadir Morocco. A common Berber noun: wall, enclosure, fortified building. In Arabic: أكادير
  • Al Hoceima Morocco. From the Spanish name Alhucemas, itself from an Andalusi Arabic word for lavender. In Arabic: الحسيمة
  • Al-Khums Libya. Literally the quintile, the fifth part. Why is not clear. In Arabic: الخمس
  • Biskra Algeria. Historians do not agree. Some say from Vescera, a station or place of exchange. In Arabic: بسكرة
  • Casablanca Morocco. The white house. Before the 15th century the settlement was called Anfa. In Arabic: الدار البيضاء
  • El Oued Algeria. The river: the oasis town is watered by an underground river. In Arabic: الوادي
  • Fez Morocco. By some traditions from the Arabic word for pickaxe. In Arabic: فاس
  • Gabès Tunisia. From Takapes, a Berber place name that lost its first syllable. In Arabic: قابس
  • Kairouan Tunisia. Military group or caravan, a word borrowed from Middle Persian. In Arabic: ٱلْقَيْرَوَان
  • Kenitra Morocco. The little bridge. In Arabic: القُنَيْطَرَة
  • Marrakesh Morocco. Debated: perhaps from Berber words meaning land of God. In Arabic: مراكش
  • Meknes Morocco. Named after the Miknasa, an Amazigh tribe. In Arabic: مكناس
  • Misrata Libya. From the Misrata tribe, part of the Berber Hawwara confederacy. In Arabic: مصراتة
  • Oran Algeria. Wahran, from a Berber expression that translates as place of lions. In Arabic: وهران
  • Rabat Morocco. The ribat, a fortified base. Short for a name meaning stronghold of victory. In Arabic: الرِّبَاط
  • Sétif Algeria. From the Latin Sitifis, drawn from a Berber word meaning black lands. In Arabic: سطيف
  • Sidi Bel Abbès Algeria. Named after Sidi bel Abbass, a Muslim marabout. In Arabic: سيدي بلعباس
  • Tangier Morocco. From the old Berber name Tingi, linked to a Berber word for marsh. In Arabic: طنجة
  • Tébessa Algeria. Known to the ancient Greeks as the city of a hundred gates. In Arabic: تبسة
  • Tripoli Libya. From the Greek Tripolis, three cities. In Arabic also Tripoli-of-the-West. In Arabic: طَرَابُلُس
  • Tunis Tunisia. Some scholars relate it to the Carthaginian goddess Tanith. In Arabic: تونس
  • Zliten Libya. From the Isliten tribe, a branch of the Nafzawa Berbers. In Arabic: زليتن

Place-name words 33

  • Abu Father of. On this list: Abu Dhabi. In Arabic: أبو
  • Ayn Eye, and also a spring of water. On this list: Al Ain. In Arabic: عين
  • Bab Door or gate. In Arabic: باب
  • Bahr Sea, and also a large river. In Arabic: بحر
  • Balad Country or land, and also a town. In Arabic: بلد
  • Bayt House or building, and also a tent. In Arabic: بيت
  • Bir Well, spring or water-pit. In Arabic: بئر
  • Burj Tower. In Arabic: برج
  • Dar House. On this list: Casablanca, in Arabic ad-Dar al-Bayda. In Arabic: دار
  • Dayr Monastery or convent. On this list: Deir ez-Zor. In Arabic: دير
  • Hadba Hill or plateau. In Arabic: هضبة
  • Hisn Stronghold or fortress. In Arabic: حصن
  • Jabal Mountain, or a mountain range. Often spelled jebel. In Arabic: جبل
  • Jazira Island or peninsula. In Arabic: جزيرة
  • Khalij Gulf. In Arabic: خليج
  • Khan Hostel, caravanserai or inn. In Arabic: خان
  • Madina Town or city. On this list: Medina. In Arabic: مدينة
  • Mina Port or harbor. In Arabic: ميناء
  • Nahr River. In Arabic: نهر
  • Najd Highland or plateau. In Arabic: نجد
  • Qala Fortress, fort or castle. In Arabic: قلعة
  • Qarya Any populated area: a village or town. In Arabic: قرية
  • Ras Head, and so a headland. On this list: Ras Al Khaimah. In Arabic: رأس
  • Rawda Garden or meadow. In Arabic: روضة
  • Rif Countryside. In Arabic: ريف
  • Sahil Coast or seaside. In Arabic: ساحل
  • Sharq East. On this list: Sharjah. In Arabic: شرق
  • Shatt Bank, shore or coast. In Arabic: شط
  • Suq Market. In Arabic: سوق
  • Tall Mound, hillock or hill. In Arabic: تل
  • Umm Mother, and also origin or source. On this list: Omdurman. In Arabic: أم
  • Waha Oasis. In Arabic: واحة
  • Zawiya Corner, and also a cell or hermitage. In Arabic: زاوية

How this list was compiled: Two lists, built on 2026-10-03 from English Wikipedia and English Wiktionary (both CC BY-SA 4.0), read that day. (1) 73 real cities and towns of countries where Arabic is an official language, as Wikipedia lists them (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_where_Arabic_is_an_official_language), in four regions. The candidates were the cities of Wikipedia's list of the largest cities in the Arab world and the most populous places of each country in the GeoNames table of cities; a city is kept only where its own Wikipedia article gives a meaning or an origin for the name, so a famous city whose article says nothing about its name is not here. The Arabic spelling is the one that article prints. The line about the name is our short wording of what the article says, and a script checked its words against the article; where the article reports a debate, the card says the origin is debated. A card gives one reading and scholars often offer several: the article has the rest. The country named is the one the article names. No city of the Palestinian territories, Israel or Western Sahara is listed, so that no card has to settle a disputed border. (2) 33 common words that Arabic place names are built from. Each is an Arabic noun with its own English Wiktionary entry; the meaning is taken from that entry and the spelling in Latin letters is Wiktionary's own with the accent marks taken off (kh for the letter kha, sh for shin). An example is given only where a city on this list carries the word. Nobody who reads Arabic has reviewed this page, and it invents no name. Licence: Facts from English Wikipedia and English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the selection and the wording of every line are ours.