Ancient Arabic units of measurement

Length

1/16 Arabic foot ~2.25 cm A finger-length
Qabdhah قبضة 1/4 Arabic foot ~9 cm A palm-length
Arabic foot قدم عربية ~32 cm
Dhira ذراع cubit: traditionally 2 Arabic feet, later 1.5 Arabic feet Cubit
Urgye fathom: 6 Arabic feet ~1.92 m A pace-length
Qasbah قصبة 12 Arabic feet ~3.84 m A cane-length
Seir stade: 600 Arabic feet ~192 m
Ghalwah 720 Arabic feet ~230.4 m
Parasang parasang or league: 18,000 Arabic feet ~5.76 km
Barid بريد 4 parasang ~23.04 km
Marhalah مرحلة 8 parasang ~46.08 km A village-length.

See also

  • Awqiyyah, the Arabic ounce or half-pound, depending on region.
  • Qafiz, an Arabic unit for measuring volumes.
  • Sāʿ, an ancient unit of volume, equal to 2 to 4 liters, depending on region.
  • The Arabic mile (al-mīl), a unit of length employed by Arab geographers and scientists.

References

  • Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights, and Measures: Their SI Equivalences and Origins, Springer, 2003, pp. 76–78, ISBN 9781852336820 .


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