A dunam (
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...
,
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: ; ; ; ), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman
stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' for ...
, was the
Ottoman unit of
area
Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...
analogous in role (but not equal) to the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' for ...
or
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
, representing the amount of land that could be ploughed by a team of
oxen in a day. The legal definition was
(when?) "forty standard
pace
Pace or paces may refer to:
Business
*Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US
*Pace Airlines, an American charter airline
* Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...
s in length and breadth", but its actual area varied considerably from place to place, from a little more than in
Ottoman Palestine
The region of Palestine (region), Palestine is part of the wider region of the Levant, which represents the land bridge between Africa and Eurasia.Steiner & Killebrew, p9: "The general limits ..., as defined here, begin at the Plain of ' ...
to around in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.
[Λεξικό της κοινής Νεοελληνικής (Dictionary of Modern Greek), Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών, Θεσσαλονίκη, 1998. ]
The unit is still in use in many areas previously ruled by the Ottomans, although the new or metric dunam has been redefined
(as of when, by who?) as exactly one
decare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
(), which is 1/10
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
(1/10 × ), like the modern Greek
royal stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' form ...
.
History
The name dönüm, from the
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...
''dönmek'' (, "to turn"), appears to be a
calque
In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...
of the
Byzantine Greek
Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic; Greek: ) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the F ...
''
stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' for ...
'' and had the same size. It was likely adopted by the Ottomans from the Byzantines in
Mysia
Mysia (UK , US or ; ; ; ) was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor (Anatolia, Asian part of modern Turkey). It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lyd ...
-
Bithynia
Bithynia (; ) was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Paphlagonia to the northeast a ...
.
''The Dictionary of Modern Greek'' defines the old Ottoman stremma as approximately , but
Costas Lapavitsas
Costas Lapavitsas (; born January 20, 1961) is a professor of economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and was elected as a member of the Hellenic Parliament for the left-wing Syriza party in the January 2015 ...
used the value of for the region of
Naoussa in the early 20th century.
Definition
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro
In
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and in
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
the unit is called the ''dulum'' (дулум) or ''dunum'' (дунум). In Bosnia and Herzegovina a dunum (or dulum) equals . In the region of
Leskovac
Leskovac ( sr-Cyrl, Лесковац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Jablanica District in Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a p ...
, south Serbia, one dulum is equal to . In
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
it is called a dynym or dylym and is equal to .
Bulgaria
In
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, the
decare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
(декар) is used, which is an
SI unit, literally meaning 10 ares.
Cyprus
In
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, a donum is or 14400 square feet. In the
Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the third lar ...
older Greek-Cypriots also still refer to the donum using the local
Greek Cypriot
Greek Cypriots (, ) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2023 census, 719,252 respondents recorded their ethnicity as Greek, forming almost 99% of the 737,196 Cypri ...
dialect word σκάλες
kales
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city pr ...
rather than the mainland Greek word
stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' for ...
(equivalent to a decare). However, since 1986 officially Cyprus uses the square metre and the hectare.
A donum consists of 4 evleks, each of which consists of or 3.600 square feet.
Greece
In Greece, the old dönüm is called a "Turkish stremma", while today, a
stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' for ...
or "royal stremma" is exactly one
decare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
, like the metric dönüm.
Iraq
In
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
, the dunam is .
Israel, Palestine and Turkey
In Israel,
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
and
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, the dunam is , which is 1
decare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
. From the Ottoman period and through the early years of the
British Mandate for Palestine
The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and Transjordanwhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesfollowing the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in Wo ...
, the size of a dunam was , but in 1928, the metric dunam of was adopted, and this is still used today in Israel.
United Arab Emirates
The Dubai Statistics Center an
Statistics Centre Abu Dhabiuse the metric dunam (spelt as donum) for data relating to agricultural land use.
One donum equals .
Variations
Other countries using a dunam of some size include
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
and
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
.
Conversions
A metric dunam is equal to:
* 1,000 square metres (exactly)
* 10
are
Are commonly refers to:
* Are (unit), a unit of area equal to 100 m2
Are, ARE or Åre may also refer to:
Places
* Åre, a locality in Sweden
* Åre Municipality, a municipality in Sweden
**Åre ski resort in Sweden
* Are Parish, a municip ...
s (exactly)
* 1
decare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
(exactly)
* 0.1
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
s (exactly)
* 0.001
square kilometres
The square kilometre (square kilometer in American spelling; symbol: km2) is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area. In the SI unit of area (m2), 1 km2 is equal to 1M(m2).
1 km2 is equal to:
* 1,000,000 square ...
(exactly)
* 0.247105381
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
s (approx)
* 1,195.99005
square yard
The square yard (Indian English, Northern India: guz, gaj, Pakistani English, Pakistan: gaz) is an imperial unit and U.S. customary unit of area. It is in widespread use in most of the English language, English-speaking world, particularly the U ...
s (approx)
* 10,763.9104
square feet
The square foot (; abbreviated sq ft, sf, or ft2; also denoted by '2 and ⏍) is an imperial unit and U.S. customary unit (non- SI, non-metric) of area, used mainly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pa ...
(approx)
Comparable measures
The
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' for ...
was the probable source of the Turkish unit. The
zeugarion (Turkish
çift) was a similar unit derived from the area plowed by a team of oxen in a day. The
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
was originally similar to both units in principle, although it developed separately.
See also
*
Orders of magnitude (area)
This page is a progressive and labelled list of the SI area orders of magnitude, with certain examples appended to some list objects.
to square metres
10−8 to 10−1 square metres
100 to 107 square metres
108 to 1014 square metres
101 ...
for further comparisons
*
Conversion of units
Conversion of units is the conversion of the unit of measurement in which a quantity is expressed, typically through a multiplicative conversion factor that changes the unit without changing the quantity. This is also often loosely taken to incl ...
*
Feddan
A feddan () is a unit of area used in Egypt, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Oman. In Classical Arabic, the word means 'a yoke of oxen', implying the area of ground that could be tilled by oxen in a certain time. In Egypt, the feddan is the only n ...
, a similar non-SI unit of area used in
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
,
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
, and
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
*
Resm-i dönüm, a land tax based on the area of a farm
References
{{Reflist
External links
Foreign Weights and Measures Formerly in Common Use
Units of area
Turkish words and phrases
Metricated units