Word origins

• ustada master, especially of music, in South Asia and the Middle East
• khyberThe area around the Khyber Pass in Pakistan.
• nizamThe hereditary sovereign of Hyderabad, a former state of India.
• maulviAn imam; a Muslim doctor of law.
• -abadUsed to form the names of cities and towns, especially in Persian- and Urdu-speaking areas.
• ArmaghanA transliteration of the Persian or Urdu female given name ارمغان (armaġân).
• Azad KashmirAn autonomous territory administered by Pakistan; in full, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
• BarelviBelonging to a certain revivalist movement within Sunni Islam.
• English BazarSynonym of Malda: a city and municipality of West Bengal; the headquarters of Malda district, West Bengal, India.
• IslamiyatIslamic religious studies; Islam as a school subject (taught in Pakistani schools).
• jamewarA cashmere shawl with coloured patterns.
• LayyahOne of the four districts in the Dera Ghazi Khan Division of Punjab in Pakistan.
• lotacracyA political environment in which politicians have a tendency to switch loyalties frequently for personal gain.
• mehfilIn parts of South Asia, a gathering where poetry or classical music is performed for a small audience in an intimate setting.
• minakariA type of enamelwork Persian jewellery, especially champlevé.
• MuzaffargarhOne of the four districts in the Dera Ghazi Khan Division of Punjab in Pakistan.
• numdahAn Indian rug or mat made with chain stitch.
• oojahSomething whose name is unknown or unimportant; a thingy; a whatsit.
• parganaAn administrative unit of British Raj, consisting of a number of villages. Since Indian independence, replaced by the block or tahsil.
• pasandaA mild curry made with cream, coconut milk, and almonds.
• Pichal PeriA creature from Pakistani/Arabian culture, who's said to be reverse-footed and demonic.
• pukka sahibA person of excellent character.
• RajanpurOne of the four districts in the Dera Ghazi Khan Division of Punjab in Pakistan.
• sarabat stallA kind of drinks stall or roadside pushcart selling teh tarik, historically and traditionally run by immigrants from Pakistan and other South Asian countries.
• shararaA pair of loose trousers worn (typically with a kameez and dupatta) by women in South Asia.
• tehsildarAn administrative officer in Pakistan and India who gathers taxes from a tehsil.
• tykhanaAn underground chamber in which to keep cool during the heat of the day.
• vakeelAn attorney, lawyer or agent.
• watta sattaA form of bride exchange in Pakistan and Afghanistan, involving the simultaneous marriage of a pair (brother and sister, uncle and niece, etc.) from each of two households.
• ziaratAn Islamic shrine