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The Ishtar Gate

Modern Place Names

The following is an incomplete list of currently existing countries and territories, as they might be rendered in Sumerian if the language was still used in the modern day. Its main purpose is to allow for the construction of modern Sumerian names that reference geographic locations, although this list is based on much speculation and shouldn't be treated as anything other than speculative.

Place names in Sumerian are written with the sign 𒆠 KI at the end. This is called a determinative - it tells us that the word preceding it is the name of a place, and it's not pronounced when speaking.

West and Central Asia

Arabi Sa'uda 𒀀𒊏𒁉 𒊓𒌓𒁕𒆠: Saudi Arabia.
Arden 𒅈𒁷𒆠: Jordan. From Semitic yrd, "descender", as in the Jordan River.
Aššur 𒀸𒋩𒆠: Syria. Loaned from Akkadian.
Dilmun 𒉌𒌇𒆠: Bahrain. From an ancient nation that had its capital in modern Bahrain.
Irak 𒄿𒊩𒆠 Iraq, Republic of. Note that it is possible that the Sumerians would have called this area the land of Unug 𒀕𒆠, after the ancient city which is better known by its Akkadian name Uruk, from which "Iraq" derives.
Israel 𒄑𒊏𒂖𒆠: Israel.
Katar 𒅗𒋻𒆠: Qatar.
Kur Apgan 𒆳𒀊𒃶𒆠: Afghanistan.
Palaštu 𒉺𒆷𒀸𒌅𒆠: Palestine. Loaned from Semitic, origin unknown.
Paras 𒌓𒊍𒆠: Iran. From Persia, via Semitic.
Turuk 𒌅𒊿𒆠: Turkey.

South and East Asia

Annam 𒀭𒉆𒆠 Vietnam. From an archaic term for the country.
Kur Han 𒆳𒄩𒀭𒆠: (South) Korea.
Kur Tai 𒆳𒋫𒄿𒆠: Thailand.
Kur Ud-e 𒆳𒌓𒁺𒆠: Japan. "Land of the rising sun".
Mele 𒈨𒇷𒆠: Malaysia.
Meluha 𒈨𒈛𒄩𒆠: Pakistan. From an ancient nation located on the Indus River.
Siĝapura 𒋝𒀀𒁍𒊏𒆠: Singapore.
Sindu 𒉆𒁺𒆠: India. Borrowed from Sanskrit.
Šin 𒊿𒆠: China. Ultimately from Mandarin qin.

Africa

Alzir 𒀠𒆰𒆠: Algeria.
Azani 𒀀𒍝𒉌𒆠: South Africa. From Azania, a term for the country in some local languages.
Habaš 𒄩𒈦𒆠: Ethiopia. From an ancient term for the region, which also gave the Latin Abyssinia.
Kumat 𒆪𒆳𒆠: Egypt. From Egyptian kmt, "black soil".
Kur Kuš 𒆳𒋢𒆠 Sudan. From an ancient term for the area.
Marakeš 𒈠𒊏𒆟𒆠: Morocco. Via Arabic.
Pune 𒁍𒉈𒆠: Somalia. From Egyptian pwnt (with a silent t), "land of Punt".
Rebu 𒊑𒁍𒆠 : Libya. From Egyptian rbw, which also gives the modern English name.
Tunis 𒄽𒄑𒆠: Tunisia.
Zimbabu'e 𒄷𒊺𒁀𒁍𒂊𒆠: Zimbabwe.

Europe

Alba 𒀠𒁀𒆠: Scotland. Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic.
Aleman 𒀠𒇷𒌋𒌋𒆠: Germany. From the Alemanii tribe.
Angul 𒀭𒄢𒆠: England. From the Anglii tribe.
Asturi 𒊍𒌅𒊑𒆠: Austria.
Bulgar 𒇧𒃻𒆠: Bulgaria.
Esti 𒄑𒋾𒆠: Estonia. From Estonian Eesti.
Gidan 𒄘𒆗𒆠: Denmark. "March (ie, borderland) of the Danes".
Hiban 𒄭𒉼𒆠: Ireland. From Latin Hibernia.
Hispan 𒍨𒉼𒆠: Spain. From Latin Hispania.
Huruat 𒄷𒊒𒀜𒆠: Croatia. From Croatian Hrvatska.
Islandi 𒄑𒇸𒁲𒆠: Iceland. From Icelandic Ísland.
Italia 𒄿𒋫𒇷𒀀𒆠: Italy.
Kirgug 𒆳𒍝𒄢𒆠: Montenegro. Literal translation of the Latin Montenegro or Slavic Crna Gora - "black mountain".
Kiršeg 𒆳𒋙𒉀𒆠: Norway. "Land of snow".
Kurudu 𒆠𒍏𒆠: Cyprus. "Land of copper".
Lita 𒇷𒋫𒆠: Lithuania. From Lithuanian Lietuva.
Lusitan 𒇽𒋛𒆗𒆠: Portugal. From Latin Lusitania.
Magar 𒈠𒃻𒆠: Hungary. From Hungarian Magyar.
Melita 𒈨𒇷𒋫𒆠: Malta. From Greek melite, "honey-sweet".
Palša 𒁄𒊭𒆠: Poland. Borrowed from Slavic.
Puranku 𒁓𒀭𒆪𒆠: France. From Latin Francia.
Rus 𒊒𒊻𒆠: Russia. From Old Slavic, meaning uncertain.
Rus-bar 𒊒𒊻𒌓𒆠: Belarus. "White Rus", as in Slavic.
Rus-di 𒊒𒊻𒌉𒆠: Ukraine. "Lesser Rus", as in Slavic.
Serbi 𒋤𒁉𒆠: Serbia.
Sueti 𒋢𒂊𒋾𒆠: Sweden. From Latin Suetidi.
Suis 𒋢𒄑𒆠: Switzerland. From French Suisse.
Sumi 𒋢𒈪𒆠: Finland. From Finnish Suomi.
Šiperi 𒅆𒉿𒊑𒆠: Albania. From Albanian Shqipëri.
Unan 𒌦𒀭𒆠: Greece. From Persian Yunan.

Americas
As is the case in many languages, the names of the countries of the Americas listed here are generally phonetic transcriptions.

Amerika 𒀀𒈨𒊑𒅗𒆠: United States.
Buresil 𒁍𒊑 𒋻𒆠: Brazil.
Gunkuga 𒄘𒆬𒂵𒆠: Argentina. "Land of silver".
Hameka 𒄩𒈨𒅗𒆠: Jamaica.
Kanada 𒅗𒈾𒁕𒆠: Canada.
Kuba 𒆪𒁀𒆠: Cuba.
Mehike 𒈨𒄭𒆤𒆠: Mexico.
Purta-Rika 𒁓𒋫𒊑𒅗𒆠: Puerto Rico.

Oceania

Autearua 𒀀𒌋𒋼𒀀𒊒𒀀𒆠: New Zealand. From Māori Aotearoa.
Bizi 𒁉𒍣𒆠: Fiji.
Kiriĝal 𒆠𒌷𒅅𒆠: Australia. "Antipodean land."

Unless otherwise stated, all material on these pages is original to and © The Ishtar Gate, 2019-20.
  • Home
  • Faith & Beliefs
    • Service & Devotion
    • Seven Gods who Decree Fate
    • Other Deities
    • Prayer
    • Good & Evil
    • Building an Altar
    • Making Offerings
    • Texts, hymns & prayers
    • Death & the Afterlife
  • Society & Culture
    • Cuneiform Basics
    • Personal Names
    • Amagi = Freedom
    • Numerals & Numerology
    • Basic Sumerian Phrases
  • Calendar
  • About Us
  • Contact