Bandar or Bunder (in Persian بندر) is a Persian word meaning "port" and "haven". Etymologically it combines Persian بند Band (enclosed) and در dar (gate, door) meaning "an enclosed area" (i.e. protected from the sea). The word travelled with Persian sailors over a wide area leading to several coastal places in Iran and elsewhere having Bandar (haven) as part of their names. In some Indian languages the word Bandargah means "port". In Indonesian Malay it means "port".
Various ports around the world derive their names from the word "bandar". Some of them are listed (country-wise) below.
Bandar Upazila
Bandar Thana
The west coast of India, with its historic links to Persia, has several place names that include the word bunder. The city of Bombay historically had a number of piers along its waterfronts, each named after the cargo it typically handled (or at times a landmark or important personality). The piers have long gone, but the place names continue to be used today. A coastal town in Andhra Pradesh by name Machilipatnam is also called Bandar by the local people over there. These include:
Apollo Bunder
Akhtar Bunder
Arthur Bunder
Ballard Bunder
Boree Bunder (boree = sack or bag)
Brick Bunder
Carnac Bunder
Chendani Bunder
Chinch Bunder
Chincholi Bunder
Colsa Bunder (colsa = coal)
Dana Bunder (dana = grain)
Ghod Bunder (ghod = horses)
Haji Bunder
Hay Bunder
Kerosene Bunder
Lakdi Bunder (lakdi = timber)
Masjid Bunder (masjid = mosque - however, this pier was named after the Gate of Mercy Synagogue)
Machilipatnam or Masulipatnam is also called Bundaru by Andhra people in Andhra Pradesh
Mith Bunder
Nagla Bunder
Reti Bunder (reti = sand)
Tank Bunder
Wadi Bunder
Zakaria Bunder
Similarly, in the state of Gujarat, several town names include the word bunder:
Bhavnagar
Ferry Bunder
Old Bunder
Billimoria
Vakharia Bunder
Jambusar
Kavi Bunder
Tankari Bunder
Jamnagar
Bedi Bunder
Salaya Bunder
Sikka Bunder
Rozi Bunder
Vadinar Bunder
Kandla
Jafarwadi Bunder
Tuna Bunder
Porbunder
Valsad
Valsad Bunder
Veraval Bunder
Bhidiya Bunder
Khadi Bunder
Nava Bunder
Veraval Bunder
Sanjan
Sanjan Bunder
Banda Aceh
Bandar Lampung
Banjarmasin
Bandar Abbas
Bandar Anzali
Bandar Imam
Bandar Lengeh
Bandar Torkman
Bandar Charak
Bandar-e Olya
Bandar-e Sofla, Mazandaran
Bandar, Isfahan
Bandar, Kermanshah
Bandar, Yazd
Bondar (disambiguation)
Bandor (disambiguation)
Bandar Baru Bangi
Bandar Bayan Baru
Bandar Tun Razak
Bandar Samariang
Bandar Seberang Jaya
Bandar Seri Putra
Bandar Sri Damansara
Bandar Khayran
Bandah Jadidah
Bandar Jissah
Keti Bandar
Shamal Bandar
Somalia and the East African Coast
Bandar Beyla
Boosaaso, formerly known as Bandar Qaasim
A coastal region of Somalia is called Banaadir, however Arab geographers applied the term historically to all port cities of the East African coast, from Somalia to Mozambique.
Bandar el-Mansura, Egypt
Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei
Bandar, Afghanistan
Bandar, India
The Bund, a district in Shanghai, China
Bandara, linked to original Persian "port", A name, a title, for a clan of chieftains in central highlands of Sri Lanka, whose origins date back to early migrations from Northwest India.
