panahgah

Panahgah is a term meaning a place of shelter or refuge. It is derived from Persian and Urdu linguistic roots, combining panah “refuge, protection” with gah “place” to denote a location that offers safety.

The word is used across Urdu- and Persian-influenced languages, including Urdu, Hindi, and Dari, to describe any shelter that provides safety to people or animals. In everyday speech it can refer to a temporary shelter, a homeless shelter, or a refugee camp, as well as sanctuaries for travelers or victims in danger; the exact connotations depend on context.

In humanitarian and disaster-management contexts, panahgahs are established to accommodate displaced populations and provide basic services such as food, bedding, sanitation, and medical care. They may be government-run, run by non-governmental organizations, or community initiatives, and can be formal facilities or informal shelters during emergencies.

Although the term is primarily a noun for shelter, it is also used metaphorically in literature and rhetoric to denote safety or asylum. While not a proper noun for a specific place, panahgah appears in regional discourse as the generic concept of shelter and refuge.