-stan

The suffix -stān (spelled ـستان in the Perso-Arabic script) is Persian for "place of", derived from the Indo-Aryan equivalent, -sthāna (pronounced|st̪ʰaːna (स्थान in the Devanāgarī script), a cognate Sanskrit suffix with a similar meaning. In Indo-Aryan languages, "sthāna" 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 "golestan" (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 English suffix "-stead" is also yet another variant.

The suffix "-stan" occurs in the following names, mostly geographical or pseudo-geographical:

Continent

*Frangistan (Persian:فرنگستان "farangestān") cite journal |author=Davidson, Roderic H. |title=Where is the Middle East? |journal=Foreign Affairs |volume=38 |pages=p. 665–675 |year=1960]

Subcontinent

*Hindustan

Countries

*Afghanistan
*Yunanistan (Greece in Turkish)
*Kazakhstan
*Kyrgyzstan
*Pakistan
*Tajikistan
*Turkmenistan
*Uzbekistan

Autonyms

*Hayastan, the name of Armenia in Armenian
* Hindustan, the poetic name of India and people are called hindustani

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
*Bargustan/Borgustan - to the NNorth of modern Kislovodsk, mentioned by Evliya Çelebi [http://www.anmik.ru/kislovodsk/kislodsk-info/] [http://www.kumukia.ru/modules.php?name=Pages&pa=showpage&pid=9234]
*Bashkortostan — constituent republic of Russia
*Cholistan Desert
*Dagestan — constituent republic of the Russian Federation, literally "place of mountains"
*East Pakistan (or East Bengal, historic name for pre-independence Bangladesh)
*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.
*Hunistan, Chenestan - kingdom of Huns in the modern territory of Kumyks [http://www.kumukia.ru/modules.php?name=Encyclopedia&op=content&tid=1603]
*Kabulistan — ("The Kabul land" — old term used in many historical books and old Persian literature books for Kabul. Kabulistan contained a larger region than 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
*Kordestan - a Kurdish province in Iran
*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
*Tatarstan — a constituent republic of the Russian Federation
*Talyshistan - ethnolinguistic region in the SE Caucus and NW Iran
*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
*Uyghurstan - Region of the Uyghur people, located in the north west of 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.
*Uyghuristan — (variants East Turkestan & Uighurstan) proposed ethnic name for Xinjiang, People's Republic of China

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 "".
* Aldastan — a fictional central Asian country consisting of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, from "".
* 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.
* Azadistan - From the anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
* 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 "".
* Franistan — fictional country referred to in the television show "I Love Lucy".
* Helmajistan — fictional area from the anime "Full Metal Panic!".
* Howduyustan ("how do you stand?") — fictional country from "Uncle Scrooge" comic book stories.
* Iranistan — an oriental region of Hyborea ("Conan the Barbarian stories").
* Istan — a fictional island state in the online role-playing game, "Guild Wars Nightfall".
* Kerakhistan - a fictional Middle Eastern country featured in the tabletop miniature wargame "Battlefield Evolution".
* Kreplachistan — fictional country in the movie "". ("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.
* Boratistan — name used by Kazakh press secretary Roman Vasilenko to describe an image of Kazakhstan created by Sacha Baron Cohen's character, Borat.
* Canuckistan, Soviet Canuckistan — derogatory nickname of Canada.
* 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 " [http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28369 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 [http://www.examiner.com/a-127065~Editorial__Understanding_the_Incumbistan_Complex.html] .
* Londonistan — the British capital of London was given this sobriquet by French counter-terrorism agents.
* Londonistan (book) A book that sounds a warning about how the culture of the United Kingdom is being changed by a high concentration of immigrants.
* Nukhavastan — fictional country created by "The Onion" that has nuclear weapons.
* Redneckistan - See American South
* Trashcanistan - a joking way of referring to Afghanistan often used by US military personnel.
* 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, a kind of hospital in medieval Persia.
* Hamastan, a concept of a Palestinian Islamist theocracy with Sharia as government law.
* Hunestan/Hunistan/Honestan, a settlement in Ostan-e Semnan, Iran
* Islamistan, means 'Land of Islam', used in various contexts.
* Registan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Citations

External links

* [http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE494.html Indo-European root *stā-] (from the "American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition")