Dunam
The dunam of Turkish dönüm also dunam or Donum , is one of several major surface dimensions of Western Asia . It has its origin in the Ottoman Empire , where it referred to the area that a man can plow in one day (cf. Morgen , Acre ). Its name comes from dönmek (Turkish for to turn ). However, it was legally defined as a square area with a side length of 40 paces .
Regional differences and conversion
The area measure "Dunam" denotes areas of different size from region to region.
- In the Ottoman Empire and initially also in its successor states (in Libya until today) a dunam of approx. 919 m² was valid, which formed a system with further units of area and length:
- In 1928 this dimension was replaced by a metric dunam of 1000 m², initially in the British mandate area , later also in parts of the French mandate area and in Turkey . This applies today in Israel , in the Palestinian Territories , in Jordan and in Lebanon . In Turkey, the Dekar ( dekar ) has replaced the historical dunam ( dönüm ) of 919 m² as the official unit; In the colloquial language, however, the word dönüm has asserted itself , which can now also denote the dekar .
- 1 (metric) dunam = 1 daa (decar) = 1000 m²
- In the former Yugoslavia there was a dunam of approx. 700 m², which has now also been replaced by the metric dunam.
- In Syria, in addition to the dunam of 919 m², one of approx. 800 m² is also used.
- The Dunam of Northern Cyprus is 1600 square yards , about 1337.8 m².
- The Iraqi dunam is 2500 m².
Deviating from this, a Bulgarian measure of area was referred to as denum .
- 1 denum = 7.53 square meters .
See also
- Ar (area measure) : The measure Dekar = 10 Ar, which is not very common in Western Europe , is used in Turkey and other countries to denote the metric dunam (1000 m²) in order to avoid confusion with the traditional dunam (919 m²).
- Stremma - the name for a corresponding area measure in Greece.
- Dulum , Bulgarian equivalent.
literature
- Oscar Mothes: Illustrated Construction Lexicon. Volume 2, Verlag Otto Spamer, Leipzig 1864, p. 495
- Hermann Haack (Geographisch-Kartographische Anstalt Gotha): Geographisches Jahrbuch. Volume 1, Justus Perthes, Gotha 1866 p. XXVII.
Individual evidence
- ^ So VL Ménage, review by Speros Vryonis, Jr. The decline of medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the process of islamization from the eleventh through the fifteenth century, Berkeley 1971; in: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) 36 (1973), pp. 659-661, who (p. 660) points out that the Byzantine stremma was defined in the same way.
- ↑ Rosa IM El-Eini, Mandated Landscape. British Imperial Rule in Palestine, 1929–1948, New York 2006, xxiii.
- ↑ Helmut Kahnt, Bernd Knorr: Old dimensions, coins and weights. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1986, ISBN 3-323-00013-7 , p. 65.