Bandar (port)
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Bandar or Bunder (in Persian بندر) is a Persian word meaning 'port' and 'haven'. Etymologically it combines Persian بند Band ('enclosed') and در dar ('gate, door') meaning 'an enclosed area' (i.e. protected from the sea) derived from Avestan Bandha (to tieup) and Dwara (entrance). The word travelled with Persian sailors over a wide area leading to several coastal places in Iran and elsewhere having Bandar ('haven') as part of their names. In some Indian languages the word Bandargah means 'port'. In Malay the word has undergone a semantic drift and is now always taken to mean 'city'. However, the word syahbandar, a historical term for 'harbourmaster', still survives. In Indonesian the meaning 'port' is somewhat retained (compare the term bandar udara, which literally translates to 'airport'). In Assamese-Bengali languages bondor means 'port'.