A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of area used in the Ottoman Empire and still used, in various standardized versions, in many countries formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. It was defined as "forty standard paces in length and breadth",^[1] but varied considerably from place to place.

Contents 1 History 2 Definition 2.1 Cyprus 2.2 Iraq 2.3 Bulgaria 3 Variations 4 Conversions 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

The name dönüm, from the Ottoman Turkish دونمك / dönmek (to turn) appears to be a calque of the Byzantine stremma and had the same size. It was likely adopted by the Ottomans from the Byzantines in Mysia-Bithynia.^[2] In Arabic, the word is spelled دونم (dūnam).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Definition

In Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, the dunam is 1,000 square metres (10,764 sq ft). Before the end of the Ottoman Empire and during the early years of the British Mandate of Palestine, the size of a dönüm was 919.3 square metres (9,895 sq ft), but in 1928 the metric dunam of 1,000 square metres (0.10 ha) was adopted, and this is still used.^[3]

[edit] Cyprus

In Northern Cyprus the donum is 14,400 square feet (1,338 m²). In the Republic of Cyprus older Greek Cypriots also still refer to the donum, although this is gradually being replaced by another local Greek Cypriot dialect word, σκάλες (ska′les), rather than the mainland Greek word stremma. However, officially Cyprus uses the square metre.

[edit] Iraq

In Iraq, the dunam is 2,500 square metres (0.25 ha).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Bulgaria

In Bulgaria it is called dekar (декар) and is equal to 1000 sq m.

[edit] Variations

Other countries using a dunam of some size include Libya, Syria, and the countries of the former Yugoslavia.^{[citation needed]}

The Greek stremma has the same size as the metric dunam.^{[citation needed]}

The metric dunam is particularly useful in hydrological calculations as 1 dunam times 1 mm (a unit commonly used for measuring precipitation) equals exactly one cubic meter.^{[citation needed]}

The dunam is not an SI unit. The SI unit of area is the square metre (m²).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Conversions

A metric dunam is equal to:

• 1,000 square metres (exactly)
• 10 ares (exactly)
• 1 decare (exactly)
• 0.1 hectares (exactly)
• 0.001 square kilometres (exactly)

• 0.247105381 acres (approx)
• 1,195.99005 square yards (approx)
• 10,763.9104 square feet (approx)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Foreign Weights and Measures Formerly in Common Use
• Dictionary of units
• Variable donums in Turkey
• Summary based on UN handbook