The suffix -stan (spelled ـستان in the Perso-Arabic script) is Persian for "place of". An Indo-Aryan equivalent, -sthan, is derived from -sthana [st̪haːna] (स्थान in the Devanāgarī script), a cognate Sanskrit suffix with a similar meaning. In Indo-Aryan languages, sthan is also used as a word to mean "place". They appear in the names of many countries and regions, especially in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, areas where ancient Indo-Iranian peoples were established; in Iranian, however, it is also used more generally, as in Persian rigestan (ريگستان) 'place of sand, desert' and gulistan (گلستان) 'place of roses, rose garden', Hindi/Sanskrit devasthan (place of devas, "temple"), etc. Both suffixes are of Indo-Iranian and ultimately Indo-European origin, the Proto-Indo-European root being *stā- 'stand,' which is also the source of English stand, Latin stāre, and Greek histamai (ίσταμαι), all meaning 'stand,' as well as many other words, for instance the Russian word стан (stan) meaning 'settlement' or 'semi-permanent camp' (used in reference to semi-nomadic settlements encountered in certain areas of Central Asia) or in other Slavic languages such as Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian where stan means 'apartment'. Also in Germanic languages the suffix has survived, for example in the words Stadt (German), stad (Dutch/Danish) and stêd (West Frisian), all meaning 'city'. The suffix -stan occurs in the following names, mostly geographical or pseudo-geographical:
Contents |
Countries
Autonyms
Regions
- Avaristan — Avari name for Avari land in Dagestan (Russia)
- Balawaristan — another name for the Northern Areas, Pakistan.
- Balochistan or Baluchistan
- Sistan and Baluchistan, Province of Iran
- Balochistan, Province of SW Pakistan
- Baluchistan States Union
- Baltistan (in Pakistani Kashmir)
- Bantustan — Apartheid-era South African black 'homelands'; the term is coined by an analogy
- Bashkortostan — constituent republic of Russia
- Cholistan Desert
- Dagestan — constituent republic of the Russian Federation, literally "place of mountains"
- Gulistan ("rose garden" in Persian, an Iranian province and a city in Uzbekistan; compare with Gulistan Palace in Tehran and the poem by Saadi)
- Hindustan - originally either the subcontinent of India, or northern India and Pakistan.
- Kabulistan — ("The Kabul land" — old term used in many historical books and old Persian literature books for Kabul. Kabulistan contained a larger region that today's Kabul Province. Some times it is called as the country of Kabulistan)
- Kafiristan — ("land of the infidels"), historic region in Afghanistan until 1896, now known as Nuristan
- Karakalpakstan — constituent republic of Uzbekistan
- Khuzestan — a province of southwestern Iran
- Kurdistan — Kurdish region
- Lazistan — another name for Colchis, a region in the Caucasus
- Lorestan or Luristan — a province of western Iran
- Nurestan Province — Afghanistan, formed in 2001
- Pashtunistan or Pakhtunistan is what many Pashtun nationalists call the Pashtun-dominated areas of Pakistan.
- Rajasthan — a state in India
- Registan — historic site in Samarkand, meaning "place of sand"
- Seistan or Sistan — a province of Iran and Afghanistan
- Talyshstan, a short-lived autonomous republic within Azerbaijan
- Tatarstan — a constituent republic of the Russian Federation
- Turkestan — ethnolinguistic region encompassing Central Asia, northwest China, parts of the Caucasus and Asia Minor
- Russian Turkestan - Turkestan in the Russian Empire, later Turkestan Autonomous SSR
- Uyghuristan — (variants East Turkestan & Uighurstan) proposed ethnic name for Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
- Waziristan — region of northwest Pakistan
- Zabulistan — a historical region in the border area of today's Iran and Afghanistan, around the city Zabol
- Zanjistan, or Zenjistan, term used in medieval texts to refer to the homeland of the Zanj, black slaves of probably East African origin
Proposed names
- Khalistan, a proposed country created from areas with a Sikh majority, had enjoyed considerable support.
- Dravidistan, a proposed southern Indian country covering the modern Tamil Nadu, and its neighbouring states.
Other proposed names include Dalitstan, Mughalstan, and other similar names that originated on the Dalitstan website.
Fictional
- Adjikistan — a fictional central Asian country in the videogame SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault.
- Aldastan — a fictional central Asian country consisting of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, from Command & Conquer: Generals.
- Ardistan — from the novel Ardistan and Dschinnistan by Karl May.
- Avgatiganistan — a pun of 'Afghanistan', it means 'Fried eggs' ('Avga tiganita') in Greek. Fictional country by author Eugene Trivizas.
- Bazrakhistan - a fictional former Soviet republic in the movie Act of War (1998) starring Jack Scalia.
- Berzerkistan - a fictional republic run by a genocidal terrorist godhead in the comic strip Doonesbury.
- Belgistan - fictional Middle Eastern country in the anime Gasaraki.
- Carjackistan - used occasionally in the comic strip Tank McNamara.
- Derkaderkastan — fictional Middle Eastern country in Team America: World Police.
- Franistan — fictional country referred to in the television show I Love Lucy.
- Helmajistan — fictional area from the anime Full Metal Panic!.
- Iranistan — an oriental region of Hyborea (Conan the Barbarian stories).
- Istan — a fictional island state in the online role-playing game, Guild Wars Nightfall.
- Kreplachistan — fictional country in the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. ("Kreplach" — Eastern European Jewish dish consisting of meat-filled dumplings.)
- Pianostan — fictional country mentioned in an episode of Inspector Gadget.
- Zekistan — a fictional central Asian nation in the video game Full Spectrum Warrior.
Satirical
- Absurdistan — sometimes used to satirically describe a country where everything goes wrong.
- Amerikhastan — Megadeth song that criticizes biological warfare and the post 9/11 Bush administration
- Boratistan — name used by Kazakh press secretary Roman Vasilenko to describe an image of Kazakhstan created by Sacha Baron Cohen's character, Borat.
- Bradistan — a nickname for Bradford on account of its high British Asian population.[1]
- Canuckistan, Soviet Canuckistan — derogatory nickname of Canada.
- Dearbornistan - name referencing the large Muslim population of Dearborn, Michigan.
- Ethniclashistan — sometimes used satirically to describe countries in which multiple ethnic groups were thrown together, who then began fighting each other, e.g. Yugoslavia, the former Soviet Union. It was featured in the satirical The Onion newspaper in June, 2001 as being placed in the West Bank in the article Northern Irish, Serbs, Hutus Granted Homeland In West Bank (here spelled Ethniklashistan)
- Incumbistan - introduced by columnist Mark Steyn to refer to the efforts of politicians of all parties to unite to enact rules seen as assuring their continued reelection [2].
- Londonistan — the British capital of London was given this sobriquet by French counter-terrorism agents. Also, the title of a book that sounds a warning about how the culture of the United Kingdom is being changed by a high concentration of radical Islamic immigrants.[3]
- Nukhavastan — fictional country created by The Onion that has nuclear weapons.
- The three Jetlag parody travel guides contain faux ads for guides to other countries, each with a -stan reference. Molvanîa contains an ad for "Surviving Moustaschistan" (mentioning also "Carpetstan"), Phaic Tăn contains an ad for "Sherpastan", and San Sombrèro contains an ad for "Tyranistan".
Other
- Bimaristan - some kind of hospital in medieval Persia.
- Hamastan — concept of a Palestinian Islamist theocracy with Sharia as government law
- Islamistan — meaning 'Land of Islam', used in various contexts.
External links
- Indo-European root *stā- (from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition)
