Marhala (unit)
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Marḥala (Arabic: مرحلة) was an ancient Arab unit of distance traditionally defined as the length of a day’s journey on foot or by camel under ordinary travel conditions. Estimates of its length vary,[1] but it is generally considered to correspond to 40–45 kilometers (24.5–28 miles) in modern measurement.[2][3]
The Marḥala served as a practical measure for organizing travel routes, particularly for trade caravans and pilgrimage journeys, where distances were often calculated in terms of stages or “day’s marches”. Prominent geographers such as al-Baladhuri, Yaqut al-Ḥamawi, and al-Idrisi[4] employed the term to describe distances between cities, regions, and stations along major travel routes.
See also
[edit]- Ancient Arabic units of measurement
- Arabic mile
- League: old European unit of distance
References
[edit]- ↑ "المقاييس في بلاد المغرب والأندلس خلال العصر الوسيط : المرحلة وحدة غير ثابتة ولا مضبوطة القياس". anfasse.org (in Arabic). 2014-09-13.
- ↑ Kamus Dewan, p. 999, 4th edition
- ↑ Kheir, Hamad Mohammad (1985). "A Contribution to a Textual Problem: Ibn Sulaym al-Aswānī's Kitāb Aḫbār al-Nūba wa l-Maqurra wa l-Beǧa wa l-Nīl". Annales islamologiques. 21 (1): 9–72. doi:10.3406/anisl.1985.1087.
- ↑ «من إشبيلية إلى مدينة قرمونة مرحلة، ومن قرمونة إلى مدينة إستجة مرحلة». الإدريسي، نزهة المشتاق في اختراق الآفاق. (in Arabic)
