What Does Bandar and Ras Mean?

[IRONm@N]

These two words Bandar and Ras are the prefixes of some towns in Somalia, Iran, Sudan and Arab Emirates. It's seems that they are universal and they aren't Somali words. etc. I was checking the map of Iran and Middle east and I saw towns that have the same names as Ras and Bander etc. These towns have one thing in common, they are all located at tip of the country(either Northern or Southern tip) and have a shore or located next to an Ocean.

Somali Towns

Ras Kambooni
Ras Xafuun
Bandar Beyle
Bandar Caasim

Similar Towns in Iran

Bandar Abaas
Bandar Ganaveh
Bandar Mahshar

Similar Towns in UAE
Ras Al-khaimah

Similar Town in Sudan
Ras Kasar

[Firewall]

Bandar or Bunder (in Persian بندر) is a Persian word meaning "port" and "haven". Etymologically it combines Persian بند Band (enclosed) and ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandar

[nomadicwarlord]

Bandar - means port, Im guessing in Arabic since "Bandari" in Swahili means port.
Ras - judging from those towns, it is a cape.

[Firewall]

Swahili has a lot of persian influence as well....

[nomadicwarlord]

Swahili has a lot of persian influence as well....

Interesting.

[DANGIRL]

Swahili has a lot of persian influence as well....

Interesting.

Indeed.

[IRONm@N]

50% of Swahili is arabic, the other 50% is Bantu, Persian and English etc.

[gedo_gurl]

I know that in Swahili Ras means 'head'...also used as 'cape' 'chief' 'leader. etc In Kenya I heard a few places I think in the Lamu archipelago which began with 'ras' aswell.

The Swahili had trade links with 'Persia', they still have clans called 'Shirazi' who can abtiris back to their Persian ancestors. Ironman...if you had a vowel (usually 'u' or 'i') to most English (for technology and recent things) and Arabic (for most things) you can successfully get by in a Swahili speaking country...I did it for the longest time and was shocked at how many borrowed words stayed so similar to the root word.

[paidmonk]

Ras - Cape (Arabic)
Bandar - Port (Persian)

[IRONm@N]

Ras - Cape (Arabic)
Bandar - Port (Persian)

This is more like it. these towns are located at the tip of the map and border the ocean, so port and cape make sense.

Also, I just realized that Ras in arabic means (Ra'si =head)

[gedo_gurl]

Ingrate

[IRONm@N]

Ingrate

who? what are you talking about?

[Aliyyi Oromada]

On that note, Shomali means 'northerner' in persian.

[IRONm@N]

On that note, Shomali means 'northerner' in persian.

Yea I notice a city in Iran called Shomali, I didn't know what it means.