Quote:
Originally Posted by Marulus
Absolutely not. Derventa is an Ottoman word, from Turkish derbend, dervent (something like "steep cliff"), which in its turn is a loanword from Persian darband (something like: "closed gates"). From roots dar ("in") and band ("to bind").
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Bloody hell, that's a shame! I thought it seemed far too good to be true!
Dar is the usual word for gate in the region at the far end of the Ottoman world, yes. There's a Derbent down in Azerbaijan where the Caucasus meets the Caspian. The Georgian Military Highway goes thru the Daryal - the Gate of the Alans, which allowed the Ossets to spread on both sides of the same Range.