Maghreb place name etymology

The place names of the Maghreb come from a variety of origins, mostly Arabic and Berber, but including a few derived from Phoenician, Latin, and several other languages. This is well illustrated by the three largest cities of Algeria, for instance: Algiers from Arabic al-jazā'ir "the islands", Oran from wahran from Berber wa-iharan "place of lions" and Constantine (Arabic Qasantina قسنطينة) from the Latin name of the emperor Constantine. Phoenician names include Jijel, shortened from Latin Igilgili, from Phoenician i gilgilt "Skull Island" (according to Lipinski), and Carthage, ultimately from Punic qrt-ḥdšt (𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕) "New City."

Given the fact that Arabs founded very few cities in the regions they conquered, a large portion of cities in Arab countries have non-Arab etymologies. Many places, however, have had their names changed and "Arabized."

The following toponymic elements are common in place names in the Maghreb:
 * agadir, granary, wall, from Punic ‬𐤀𐤂𐤃𐤓, ʾgdr, the name of ancient Cadiz
 * aghbal أغبال, spring.
 * adrar أدرار, mountain.
 * tit eye, source, plural tittawin.
 * aït or ath آيت, "sons of".
 * ighrem "settlement"
 * azrou أزرو, "stone" from "azru"
 * berkane بركان, "black" from aberkan.
 * bordj برج, fort. from Arabic.
 * bou بو, place of (literally "father of"). Maghrebi Arabic and, from  abū أبو.
 * casbah قصبة, old quarter of a town.
 * chergui شرقي (pl. cheraga شراقة), eastern.
 * chott شطّ, a swampy salt lake. Maghrebi Arabic, from  shātī شاطئ
 * dar دار, pl. diar ديار, home.
 * djebel جبل, mountain.
 * djemaa جامع, mosque.
 * douar دوار, (traditionally) region about the size of a county
 * erg "field of dunes" (in the Sahara.)
 * foggara "irrigation channel" (in the Sahara.)
 * gharbi غربي, "western"
 * hamada, "barren rock plain" (in the Sahara.)
 * hamra f., hmar m. أحمر, "red"
 * hassi حاسي, "well" (in the Sahara.)
 * i, Latin transcriptions of Punic (𐤀‬𐤉, "island, coastland"), from Egyptian iw ("island")
 * idhan "sand dunes", Tamahaq, the Tuareg language.
 * ifrane "caves".
 * ighil "hill".
 * in "of", Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
 * kalaa قلعة, "fortress".
 * khemis خميس, "Thursday".
 * ksar قصر, "fortified town, castle".  from Latin castrum
 * lalla لالاّ, "female saint". Maghrebi Arabic from
 * larbâa "Wednesday".
 * melloul ملول, mellal ملال, mellil مليل, "white" from amellal.
 * mersa مرسى, "port"
 * n ن, "of"
 * oued واد. Maghrebi Arabic from wādī وادي
 * ouled ولاد, "sons of" Maghrebi Arabic from  awlâd أولاد.
 * ras راس, "cape, head"
 * rus (,, "head, cape")
 * sebkha or sabkha سبخة, "salt pan" (in Arabic)
 * seghir صغير, "small"
 * si سي or sidi سيدي, "male saint"
 * souk سوق, "market" مرسى, search
 * tadrart "the rock" Tamahaq.
 * tala تالا, "spring" ; attested as early as Sallust's time in the form Thala.
 * tan, tin "of, in" Tamahaq.
 * taourirt تاوريرت, "hill".
 * tedles تدلس, "reeds".
 * tehe "pass" Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
 * tell تل, "hill"
 * tizi تيزي, "pass"
 * Ténéré صحراء تينيري, "desert"
 * Wahran وهران, "lions",
 * wan, win "of" Tamahaq.
 * zaouia زاوية "Quranic school" Maghrebi Arabic, from "corner".
 * zemmour زمور.  azemmur, f. tazemmurt "olive tree".
 * Zenati زناتي, from the medieval tribe Zenata.
 * zeriba زريبة, "stockade"
 * zmala زمالة, pl. zmoul زمول "encampment"