Fawazeer Glossary

A fazoura is an Arabic riddle — a short question, proverb, or wordplay with a hidden answer. It is the colloquial term, used across most Arabic dialects and the singular of fawazeer. Classic fazouras are shared at family gatherings, in storytelling majlis, and during Ramadan evenings.

Fawazeer is the plural of fazoura — Arabic riddles, collectively. The word also names the iconic Ramadan TV programme tradition (see below) and is the brand name of this app. Across the Arab world, fawazeer carry centuries of shared wordplay and family-gathering culture.

Lughz is the classical Arabic word for riddle, enigma, or puzzle. Its plural is alghaz (ألغاز). Where fazoura is the everyday spoken term, lughz is the more formal register — the word you'll see in classical Arabic literature, modern crossword puzzles, and academic writing about Arabic word games.

An uhjiyya is a classical Arabic riddle, often in rhymed prose or poetry. The plural is ahaji (أحاجي). The form has a long tradition in Arabic poetics, where poets composed riddle-poems whose answers were proper nouns, objects, or natural phenomena — a contest of metaphor between author and audience.

A mathal is an Arabic proverb — a short saying that distills experience into a memorable line. The plural is amthal (أمثال), and one of Fawazeer's 11 themed packs is dedicated to them. Many fawazeer take the form of guessing the second half of a well-known mathal, or identifying which proverb a hint describes.

Hekma is wisdom — both the abstract quality and a single wisdom saying. Plural: hikam (حِكَم). Wisdom sayings overlap with proverbs but lean philosophical or didactic. Classical Arabic culture treats hekma as a literary form in its own right, with named compilers like al-Mubarrad and Ibn Abd Rabbih curating canonical collections.

Majlis literally means "a place of sitting" — in homes, a formal room for receiving guests; in public life, an assembly or council. Across the Arab world the majlis is the social setting where fawazeer have always been shared: evening visits, family debates, storytelling sessions. Fawazeer's multiplayer mode takes its name from this tradition.

A diwaniyya is the Kuwaiti and Gulf-region equivalent of a majlis — a dedicated reception room (often a separate building beside the family home) where men gather in the evening to talk, play games, and host visitors. The diwaniyya remains a core Gulf social institution and a natural fit for multi-player riddle nights.

Samar is the Arabic word for evening conversation, storytelling, and entertainment among friends or family. The root verb means "to stay up at night talking." The pre-television evening tradition of samar is where many classical fawazeer were composed, refined, and passed on between generations.

Iftar is the meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan, eaten at sunset. Iftar gatherings are the single most riddle-rich moment in the Arab cultural year — extended families eat together, then linger over fawazeer, sweets, and tea well into the evening. It is the cultural memory the app's Ramadan content is timed to.

Fawazeer Ramadan is the iconic Egyptian television programme that aired daily during Ramadan from 1975, defining a generation's relationship with the genre. Nelly hosted the early seasons; Sherihan took over in the 1980s with elaborately costumed musical riddles that became a pan-Arab cultural touchstone. The app's brand name carries that lineage directly.

Sage's Challenge is Fawazeer's daily 7-riddle gauntlet — 60 seconds per question, triple rewards for clearing all seven. The Sage is the app's wise mascot, the keeper of harder, mixed-pack riddles, separate from the simpler daily riddle. Subscribers to Treasure of Riddles get early access to each day's Sage rotation.