Al Qadarif - Name

Name

The word Gedaref is deprived from the Arabic phrase (Alli qada-Ye-rif) (Arabic القضا يرف), meaning: He who had finished selling or buying should leave. The word was latter converted to Al-Gadarif. The story of the name begins when Arab nomad tribes roaming the area of Butana plains in the Mid-east of the Sudan chose the place where the city is built as a market place called Suq Abu Sinn (the Market of Abu Sin) where the nomads exchange their commercial commodities with indigenous people. When the sun sets, a herald used to call at the people (AIli qada-ye-rif ... Alli qada-ye-rif!); asking every one who has finished his deal in the market to leave so that the market could be closed in time.

Another theory is that the town was named for the hills range surrounding the area which looks like cartilage. Yet there is confusion in the spelling of the word in Arabic, because "cartilage" in Arabic is written as Ghadarif (Arabic غضارف) not Qadarif (Arabic قضارف), the spelling of the town name.