Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition

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Sāḥil
(1,677 words)

(a.), European form Sahel, a geographical term meaning “edge, border zone”. It is, grammatically, an active participle with a passive meaning ( fāʿil bi-maʿnā mafʿūl , see e.g. LʿA , ed. Beirut 1375/1956, xi, 328a, “eaten away by the sea” whence “shore”.

The term has various regional applications, in accordance with the meaning “fringe area, zone”.

1. In the Mag̲h̲rib .

The Sāḥil of Tunisia (Sāḥil of Sousse, Sāḥil of Sfax). This is the coastal region of the low steppes of the north, around the towns of Sousse, Monastir and Mahdia, having a maritime clima…

Cite this page
Callot, Y., “Sāḥil”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0972>
First published online: 2012
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004161214, 1960-2007



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