Bandar or Bunder (in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

بندر) is a Persian word meaning "port" and "haven". Etymologically it combines Persian بند ''Band'' (enclosed) and در ''dar'' (gate, door) meaning "an enclosed area" (i.e. protected from the sea) derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

Avestan Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...

Bandha (to tieup) and Dwara (entrance). The word travelled with Persian sailors over a wide area leading to several coastal places in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and elsewhere having Bandar (haven) as part of their names. In some Indian languages the word Bandargah means "port". In Indonesian Malay it means "port". In Assamese-Bengali languages "bondor" means port.

Places

Various ports around the world derive their names from the word "bandar". Some of them are listed (country-wise) below.

Bangladesh

Bandar Upazila Bandar ( bn, বন্দর, Bondor, Port) is an upazila (sub-district) of the Narayanganj District in central Bangladesh, part of the Dhaka Division. Bandar is a part of Greater Dhaka; the conurbation surrounding the Bangladeshi capital city of ...

* Bandar Thana

India

The west coast of India, with its historic links to Persia, has several place names that include the word bunder. The city of

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

historically had a number of piers along its waterfronts, each named after the cargo it typically handled (or at times a landmark or important personality). The piers have long gone, but the place names continue to be used today. A coastal town in Andhra Pradesh by name Machilipatnam is also called Bandar by the local people over there. These include: * Apollo Bunder * Akhtar Bunder * Arthur Bunder * Ballard Bunder * Boree Bunder (boree = sack or bag) * Brick Bunder *

Carnac Bunder Carnac (; br, italic=no, Karnag, ) is a Communes of France, commune beside the Gulf of Morbihan on the south coast of Brittany in the Morbihan Departments of France, department in north-western France. Its inhabitants are called ''Carnacois'' ...

* Chendani Bunder * Chinch Bunder *

Chincholi Bunder Chincholi is a panchayat town and a taluka in Kalaburagi district in the state of Karnataka, India. Geography Chincholi is located at . It has an average elevation of 462 metres (1515 feet). The town is spread over an area of 6 k ...

* Colsa Bunder (colsa = coal) * Dana Bunder (dana = grain) * Ghod Bunder (ghod = horses) * Haji Bunder * Hay Bunder * Kerosene Bunder * Lakdi Bunder (lakdi = timber) *

Masjid Bunder Masjid (station code: MSD) is a railway station in the Masjid Bunder area of South Mumbai on the Central and Harbour lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. It is the penultimate stop for all trains on those lines in the "up" direction. It was o ...

(masjid = mosque - however, this pier was named after the Gate of Mercy Synagogue) *

Machilipatnam Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the Tehsil, mandal he ...

Masulipatnam Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarte ...

is also called Bundaru by

Andhra Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

people in

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

* Mith Bunder *

Nagla Bunder Nagla is a census town in Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Geography Nagla is located at . Demographics As per the 2001 Census of India The 2001 Census of India was the 14th in a series of censuses held in India ...

* Reti Bunder (reti = sand) * Tank Bunder * Wadi Bunder * Zakaria Bunder Similarly, in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, several town names include the word bunder: *

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...

** Ferry Bunder ** Old Bunder * Billimoria ** Vakharia Bunder *

Jambusar Jambusar is a town and a municipality in Bharuch district in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar p ...

** Kavi Bunder ** Tankari Bunder *

Jamnagar Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...

** Bedi Bunder ** Salaya Bunder ** Sikka Bunder ** Rozi Bunder ** Vadinar Bunder *

Kandla Kandla, now officially Deendayal Port Authority, is a seaport and town in Kutch district of Gujarat state in Western India, near the city of Gandhidham. Located on the Gulf of Kutch, it is one of India's major ports on the west coast. It is ab ...

** Jafarwadi Bunder ** Tuna Bunder * Porbunder *

Valsad Valsad (Pronunciation: �alsɑɖ (Gujarati: વલસાડ), historically known as Bulsar, is a city and a municipality in Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the district headquarters of Valsad district. The city of Valsad ...

** Valsad Bunder * Veraval Bunder ** Bhidiya Bunder ** Khadi Bunder ** Nava Bunder ** Veraval Bunder * Sanjan ** Sanjan Bunder

Indonesia

Banda Aceh Banda Aceh ( Acehnese: ''Banda Acèh'', Jawoë: كوتا بند اچيه) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had ...

Bandar Lampung Bandar Lampung (Lampung language, Lampung: , ''Kutak Bandarlampung'', formerly Dutch language, Dutch: ''Oosthaven'', lit. "Eastern Harbor") is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of Lampun ...

Banjarmasin ) , translit_lang1 = Other , translit_lang1_type1 = Jawi , translit_lang1_info1 = بنجر ماسين , settlement_type = City , motto = ''Kayuh Baimbai'' ( Banjare ...

Iran

Bandar Abbas Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musan ...

* Bandar Anzali *

Bandar Imam Bandar-e Shahpour ( fa, بندر شاهپور) is a city and capital of Bandar-e Shahpour District of Mahshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. As of the 2006 census, its population was 67,078, in 14,681 families. Bandar Shahpour is a port cit ...

Bandar Lengeh Bandar Lengeh ( fa, بندرلنگه, also Romanized as Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e-Langeh and Bandar Langeh; also known simply as Lengeh, Linja, Linjah or Lingah) is a harbour city and capital of Bandar Lengeh County, in Hormozgan province of ...

* Bandar Torkman *

Bandar Charak Bandar Charak ( fa, بندر چارک, also Romanized as Bandar-e Chārak and Band-e Chārak; also known simply as Chārak) is a coastal city and capital of Shibkaveh District, in Bandar Lengeh County, Hormozgan Province, Iran Iran, ...

* Bandar-e Olya * Bandar-e Sofla, Mazandaran * Bandar, Isfahan *

Bandar, Kermanshah Bandar ( fa, بندار, also Romanized as Bandār and Bendār; also known as Bandār-e Sheykh and Bindār) is a village in Sanjabi Rural District, Kuzaran District, Kermanshah County, Kermanshah Province, Iran Iran, officially the ...

Bandar, Yazd Bandar ( fa, بندر) is a village in Rabatat Rural District, Kharanaq District, Ardakan County, Yazd Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It ...

* Bondar (disambiguation) *

Bandor (disambiguation) Bandor ( fa, باندر) may refer to: * Bandor-e Olya * Bandor-e Sofla, Kermanshah See also * Bandar (disambiguation) Bandar or Bunder may refer to: Places * Bandar, Afghanistan * Bandar, Narayanganj, Bangladesh * Bandar, Isfahan, Iran * ...

Malaysia

Bandar Baru Bangi Bandar Baru Bangi (literal translation: ''Bangi New Town'') is a township situated in Hulu Langat District, in southeastern Selangor, Malaysia. It is named after the small town of Bangi situated further south. It is located between Kajang and ...

* Bandar Bayan Baru *

Bandar Tun Razak Bandar Tun Razak is a township and parliamentary constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is named after the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak. There are a number of schools and institutions of learning in Bandar Tun Razak. ...

* Bandar Samariang * Bandar Seberang Jaya * Bandar Seri Putra *

Bandar Sri Damansara Bandar Sri Damansara is a residential township in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. The township is divided into two sections, SD1-SD5 in the north and SD7-SD15 in the south which are separated by Kuala Selangor-Kepong Highway. It is adjace ...

Oman

* Bandar Khayran * Bandah Jadidah *

Bandar Jissah Bandar Jissah ( ar, بندر الجصة) is a coastal town in northeastern Oman. Bandar Jissah was the centre of a ''Cause célèbre'' in Anglo-Omani relations in 1898, which was later called Oman's Fashoda Incident The Fashoda Incident, also ...

Pakistan

Keti Bandar The Keti Bandar Port ( ur, ) is a port on the Arabian Sea, in the Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. The port was built on the remains of the older seaport of Debal where Muhammad bin Qasim and his army arrived from Iraq. Keti Bandar is approxima ...

* Shamal Bandar

Somalia and the East African Coast

* Bandar Beyla *

Boosaaso Bosaso ( so, Boosaaso, ar, بوصاصو), historically known as Bender Cassim is a city in the northeastern Bari province ('' gobol'') of Somalia. It is the seat of the Bosaso District. Located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, the muni ...

, formerly known as Bandar Qaasim * A coastal region of Somalia is called

Banaadir Banaadir ( so, Banaadir, ar, بنادر, it, Benadir) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southeastern Somalia. It covers the same area as the city of Mogadishu, which serves as the capital. It is bordered to the northwest by the Shabel ...

, however Arab geographers applied the term historically to all port cities of the East African coast, from Somalia to Mozambique.

Other countries

* Bandar el-Mansura, Egypt *

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB; Jawi: بندر سري بڬاوان; ) is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the sm ...

, capital of

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

* Bandar,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

* Bandar, India *

The Bund The Bund or Waitan (, Shanghainese romanization: ''Nga3thae1'', , ) is a waterfront area and a protected historical district in central Shanghai. The area centers on a section of Zhongshan Road (East Zhongshan Road No.1) within the former Shang ...

, a district in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

* Bandara, linked to original Persian "port", A name, a title, for a clan of chieftains in central highlands of Sri Lanka, whose origins date back to early migrations from Northwest India.

References

{{Reflist Place name etymologies Persian words and phrases Bengali words and phrases