Religious Place Names

Adana, Turkey: Possibly for Adanus, a son of the Roman god, Uranus.

Baku, Azerbaijan: Probably from the Persian words, “bagh” (“God”) and “kuh” (“mount”)

Mashdad, Iran: From the word, “shaheed,” Arabic for “martyr.”

Odense, Denmark: From “Odins vi,” Norse for “Odin’s sanctuary.”

Karbala, Iraq: In Babylonian, this means “nearness of God,” from the Assyrian “karb” (“sacred place”) plus “ali” (“God”).