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What the name means
The name has two parts. Bir (بير, from standard Arabic bi'r, بئر) means a well, the most important feature of any desert landscape. Tawil (طويل) means tall or long; applied to a well, it is generally understood to mean a deep well. The name therefore marks the territory by its water, the scarcest resource in the Eastern Desert.
The same word bir appears in hundreds of place names across North Africa and the Middle East, such as Bir Hakeim in Libya and Bir Lahlou in Western Sahara, almost always marking a well or waterhole.
How to pronounce Bir Tawil
A close English approximation is "beer tah-WEEL". The first word rhymes with "ear". In the second word, the first syllable is short and the second is long and stressed. The Arabic ṭ in Ṭawīl is an emphatic t, pronounced with the tongue pressed further back, which English speakers usually render as an ordinary t.
- English approximation: beer tah-WEEL.
- IPA (Egyptian Arabic, approximate): [biːr tˤɑˈwiːl].
- Stress: on the final syllable, -WEEL.
Spellings you will see
Transliteration from Arabic varies, so the territory appears under several spellings:
- Bir Tawil: the most common English spelling.
- Bi'r Tawil: a more exact transliteration of the standard Arabic bi'r.
- Bīr Ṭawīl: scholarly transliteration with diacritics.
- Bir Taweel: a phonetic spelling.
- "Bir Tawil Triangle": a loose name sometimes used for the territory, which is in fact closer to a trapezoid.
Related names in the territory
Several features within Bir Tawil carry the same root. Jabal Tawil ("Tawil mountain") rises in the north, and Wadi Tawil ("Tawil valley"), also called Khawr Abu Bard, crosses the south. The highest point, Gabal Hagar el Zarqa, means roughly "mountain of the blue stone".
The name and the Empire
The Sovereign Empire of Brendania uses the name Bir Tawil for its territory. The desert horizon on the Empire's seal stands for Bir Tawil, and desert ochre, the colour of its plains, is one of the Empire's official colours.
Frequently asked questions
What does Bir Tawil mean?
"Tall well" or "long well" in Arabic, from bir (well) and tawil (tall or long), usually understood as a deep well.
How do you pronounce Bir Tawil?
"Beer tah-WEEL", with the stress on the final syllable.
How do you write Bir Tawil in Arabic?
بير طويل (Bīr Ṭawīl).
Is it Bir Tawil or Bi'r Tawil?
Both are correct transliterations. Bir Tawil is the most common English spelling; Bi'r Tawil follows standard Arabic more closely.