9al3a قلعة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9al3a” (قلعة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning fortress, citadel, castle.
Meanings
- fortress, citadel, castle
- stronghold (figurative)
Usage
9al3a refers to a fortress, a citadel or a castle, often located on a height. The word applies to historic monuments that people visit. It also appears in several Tunisian place names, such as Kalaa Kebira or Kalaa Seghira. It should not be translated there, since it is a proper name. Figuratively, it means a stronghold, a place of resistance: 9al3a nidhal, "stronghold of struggle". This sense belongs more to the political or media register. The plural is 9lâ3. It is pronounced with q, or with g in some regions.
Example
القلعة في راس الجبل
el 9al3a fi ras el jbal
“The fortress is at the top of the mountain.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9al3a” but also “kalaa”, “qal3a”, “gal3a” and “9alaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9al3a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “fortress, citadel”; “castle, fortified castle”: 9al3a in Moroccan.