L’ospite, la tavola e il tappeto: il viaggio mediterraneo dell’arabo safar

The contribution explores the circulation of the Arabic term safar ‘journey’ and its derivatives across different areas of the Mediterranean Sea. After a swift survey of the major meanings related to its pan-Semitic root s/ś-p-r, the study discusses the specific semantic connotation acquired by safar in its Koranic usage. Thence it follows the journey of safar and its derivatives from the Arab shores to the Maltese archipelago, the Iberian peninsula and, via the Turkish area, to the Balkan region. The reconstruction of the diffusion of loanwords related to safar into languages like Maltese, Spanish, Turkish, Greek, Albanian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, and Romanian gradually reveals the existence of a profound linguistic and cultural relationship that links, throughout the Mediterranean, the idea of travelling to those of honouring the guest, sharing meals, and making the house more hospitable.