Wahran
/ˈwɑːr.ɑːn/noun
A historical Arabic name for Oran, a city on Algeria’s Mediterranean coast.
Did you know?Wahran is commonly connected with the Arabic word for “lion,” yet scholars also propose Berber origins, so the lion interpretation remains intriguing rather than certain.
Etymological Timeline
Antiquity
Berber
Uncertain earlier form
“The city’s pre-Arabic name may have been Berber in origin, but its precise etymology is disputed.”
10th Century
Arabic
وهران (Wahrān)
“The Arabic form of the city’s name, later associated by popular interpretation with “two lions.””
903 CE
Arabic
Wahrān
“The settlement was founded or refounded as a port and trading center by Andalusian merchants.”
15th Century
Old Spanish
Orán
“The city-name entered Iberian usage in the form Orán.”
Modern English
English
Wahran / Oran
“Wahran survives mainly as a historical or Arabic transliteration of the modern city commonly called Oran.”