شقائق النعمان

它从哪里来

Lagarde, rebuffing the medieval tale hailing from the Abbasid grammarian Ibn al-Anbari that it derives from the name of King nuʕmān ibn-al-munḏir of al-Ḥīra who patronized the flower, recognized that شَقِيقَة (šaqīqa) is a cranberry morpheme from the root ش ق ق (š q q) meaning something like “gash, wound” and the second name equals the Biblical figure נַעֲמָן (naʕămān) as a byname of Adonis like נַעֲמָה (naʕămā) of Astarte, for in Jes. 17, 10 נִטְעֵי נַעֲמָנִים (niṭʕē naʕămānīm, “Gardens of Adonis”) were dedicated to the lover of Ishtar. As since his time epigraphy has progressed, we can recognize an Old South Arabian toponymic element, given derivations from the OSA root akin to ن ع م (n ʕ m) were overwhelmingly used for concrete water management and agricultural installations and this term 𐩬𐩲𐩣𐩬 (nʿmn) specifically, structurally designates places as of active irrigation, alluvial fertility, and freshwater access, recurringly occurs as a proper name of specific channels, catch-basins, overflowing aqueducts and oracles—such as that of Awsan built in the centre of irrigated gardens, to be understood as a place of divine favour or a sanctuary of divine response since oracles were used to resolve property disputes. More northwards, Wādī Nuʿmān between Mecca and Jedda is highly regarded as a place of spiritual impact due to the glimpse into the raw beauty of nature afforded there.