qara

Qara is a term of Turkic origin meaning “black” or “dark.” In many Turkic languages it appears as Qara or Kara and serves as a component in personal names and toponyms. It is used as a given name and surname in Turkic, Azerbaijani, and Central Asian communities, often as a color-based epithet in compound names.

Historically, the word appears in the name of the Qara Qoyunlu, the Black Sheep Turkmen, a confederation that ruled parts of eastern Anatolia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran during the 14th and 15th centuries.

In geography, Qara appears in many place names across the Caucasus, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia, usually as a root meaning “black” combined with another element: Qarabağ (Karabakh, “Black Garden”), Qaradağ (Qaradağ, “Black Mountain”), and similar toponyms. Some locations are simply named with Qara as a root element in toponyms in Azerbaijan, Iran, and neighboring regions.

Spelling variants arise from transliteration, including Kara and Qâra, reflecting Turkish, Azerbaijani, Persian and related linguistic traditions.