Toponymy of Maghreb

The toponymy of Maghreb is the product of ancient civilizations, invasions, and migrations of multiple peoples of different origins and languages, recorded primarily via Berber, Arabic, Spanish, and French traditions,^[1] but also certain influence of Phoenicians, Ancient Greeks, and the Ancient Rome. The recorded names were often distorted due to imperfection of medieval recording the pronunciation of Berber toponyms by Arabs and further by inadequacy of the records of French colonial administration of the territories of Maghreb (Tunisia, Lybia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauretania). The transcription of the names is also aggravated by a variety of local spoken dialects.^[2] All these problems have been known since as early as the 11th century, and they still have to be handled by modern researchers and cartographers seeking standardization of toponymy.^[3]

The 14th-century Arabic scholar Ibn Khaldun recorded over 1,000 toponyms of Maghreb in his Kitāb al-ʻIbar.^[3]

In the toponymy of Maghreb, Mohamed Meouak singles out three linguistic factors: hybrid toponyms (Arabic-Berber), "cross-bred" anthroponyms used in place names, and the interactions between Islamic and Christian topographies.^[4] Arabic influence may be classified into replacement of Berber toponymy with Arabic and the Arabization of Berber names.^[2]

The issue is also pertinent to atlases of Maghreb in other countries, e.g., in Hungary.^[1]