alArbaa

AlArbaa is a toponym used in the Arab world, appearing in various localities as well as in organizational names. In Arabic, alArbaa often means “the fourth” and is commonly used to identify a neighborhood, district, or settlement that is the fourth part of a larger city or region.

Etymology: The name derives from the Arabic numeral arba‘a (four) preceded by the definite article al- (the). Transliterations vary: Al-Arbaa, Al-Arba’a, Arbaa, or Arba‘a are all encountered in different sources and maps.

Geographic usage: The toponym is found in several countries in North Africa and the Middle East, particularly in Maghreb cities and their surrounding districts. It may refer to a specific quarter within a city or to a smaller village or rural community sharing the same label in different locales.

Variants and naming patterns: In addition to al-Arbaa, similar ordinal-based names appear in the region, such as al-Awwal (the first), al-Thani (the second), and other numbered toponyms, reflecting a common practice of dividing urban or rural areas into named sectors.

Disambiguation: Because alArbaa is not unique to a single place, references should include the country or city when identifying a particular locality. The term also appears in historical, religious, or cultural contexts when used as a proper name or descriptor.

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