Place Types used in The Syriac Gazetteer
The Syriac Gazetteer categorizes places using a controlled vocabulary of types. The definition of each type is given in the table below:
| Type | Definition |
|---|---|
| building | A construction for which there is no narrower category, such as a church or mosque. Examples of this type include palaces and named city gates. |
| church | A building for Christian religious services. It can be a parish church, a monastic church, a cathedral, or a small chapel used only occasionally, but not a chapel that is part of a larger church. |
| composite | A named place concept which merges multiple distinct place types, such as a city and a diocese. More specific types are preferred. |
| designated-space | An area with artificial boundaries which is not necessarily built up, such as a cemetery, town square, or polo ground. |
| diocese | An ecclesiastical province governed by a bishop, archbishop, or metropolitan. |
| fortification | A military outpost such as a fort or a castle. |
| island | A land-mass smaller than a continent surrounded on all sides by water. |
| madrasa | A building or space designated for instruction in the Islamic sciences. |
| monastery | A whole monastic complex, including living quarters for the monks or nuns, the church(es), and potentially a refectory, library, school, or other part. |
| mosque | A building or designated space used for Muslim congregational prayers. It can be part of a larger building complex. |
| mountain | An elevated physical feature, from Mt. Ararat down to a prominent hill. |
| natural-feature | A natural feature for which there is no narrower category, such as a mountain or open water. Examples of this type include forests and hot springs. |
| open-water | A broad category for seas, lakes, oceans, and ponds. |
| parish | An ecclesiastical region below a diocese, presided over by a priest. |
| province | A political unit subject to a "state" but larger than a city. States often have multiple levels of administrative units (e.g. the late Ottoman vilayets, sanjaks, kazas, and nahiyes), all of which can be indicated as a "province." |
| quarter | A subdivision of an urban center. |
| region | A term indicating a geographic extent larger than a city, without a corresponding politico-administrative apparatus. The size could range from a small valley to an entire continent. |
| river | A stream of water of whatever size, from the smallest creek to the Amazon. Wadis are also included, even if they are not filled with water year-round. |
| settlement | Any collection of civilian residences, from the smallest village to the largest metropolis. |
| state | A sovereign government such as an empire, kingdom, caliphate, or independent emirate. |
| synagogue | A building designated for use in Jewish worship. |
| temple | A building designated for use in pagan worship. |
| unknown | A place whose name is known, but what sort of place it represents is unknown. |