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City of Djinns
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City of Djinns (1993) (edit title/settings)

A Year in Delhi

by William Dalrymple (Author), Olivia Fraser (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi's centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along the way-from eunuchs to descendants of great Moguls. With refreshingly open-minded curiosity, William Dalrymple explores the seven... read more

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First Sentence edit see section history

Mrs. Puri had achieved all this through a combination of hard work and good old-fashioned thrift.

Glossary edit see section history

  • Acha: Good
  • Allah hu-Akbar: God is Great! (Muslim prayer)
  • Amir: Muslim nobleman (literally 'rich')
  • Asalaam alekum: Peace be upon you (Muslim greeting)
  • Avadi Golay: Fast-flying pidgeon from Lucknow
  • Avatar: Incarnation
  • Ayah: Nanny
  • Azan: Muslim call for prayer
  • Bahot: Very
  • Bait al-Hikmah: Renowned mediaeval hospital in Baghdad
  • Baksheesh: A tip or offering
  • Bandh: Closed or on strike; also a dam
  • Barsati: A top-floor flat (literally a 'rain shelter')
  • Bhagavad Gita: Crucial section of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata when Krishna persuades a faltering Arjuna to fight in the great battle of Kurukshetra, telling him that he must do his duty and that anyway all is illusion. It's the most holy text in all of Hinduism.
  • Bharat: India (in Hindi and Sanskrit)
  • Bidi: Cheap Indian cigarette (made from tobacco dust wrapped in a leaf)
  • Biryani: Fancy rice dish
  • Bogie: Colloquial word for 'railway carriage'
  • Burqa: Tent-like covering of Muslim women (extended version of the chador)
  • Buna Sahib: Big man (literally 'Great Sir')
  • Bustan: 'The Orchard' (a famous Persian poem by Sa'di)
  • Caravanserai: Lodging house for mediaeval merchants throughout Islam
  • Chador: Muslim woman's veil (literally 'sheet'). Can involve anything from a headscarf or sack to a fully fledged tent (see 'Burqa').
  • Chai: Tea
  • Chajja: Long outward-jutting eave on a Mughal or Sultanate building designed to give maximum shade
  • Chamcha: Sycophant (literally 'spoon')
  • Champa: Frangipani (a flower)
  • Chapatti: Disc of unleavened bread
  • Char-bagh: Garden of Persian inspiration divided into four parts by irrigation runnels
  • Charpoy: Rope-strung bed on which the population of rural India spend much of their lives (literally 'four feet')
Show all 30 glossary entries

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. William Dalrymple (Author)
  2. Olivia Fraser

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harper Collins
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: 1993
ISBN: 000215725X
Page Count: 320

Classification edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
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