Ras Al Khaimah
/ˌrɑːs əl ˈxaɪmə/noun
An emirate and city on the northern coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Did you know?The name combines Arabic raʾs, “head” or “cape,” with al-khaymah, “the tent,” reflecting the region’s coastal headland and Bedouin cultural landscape.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*raʔš-
“Head or uppermost part”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
raʾs
“Head; summit; projecting point or cape”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
khaymah
“Tent, especially a traditional dwelling”
Early modern period
Arabic
Raʾs al-Khaymah
“Head of the tent; the headland associated with the tent”
18th–19th Century
English
Ras al-Khaimah
“An English rendering of the Arabic place-name”
Modern English
English
Ras Al Khaimah
“An emirate and city of the United Arab Emirates”