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 UpazilaBandar ThanaThe 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 BunderAkhtar BunderArthur BunderBallard BunderBoree Bunder (boree = sack or bag)Brick BunderCarnac BunderChendani BunderChinch BunderChincholi BunderColsa Bunder (colsa = coal)Dana Bunder (dana = grain)Ghod Bunder (ghod = horses)Haji BunderHay BunderKerosene BunderLakdi 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 PradeshMith BunderNagla BunderReti Bunder (reti = sand)Tank BunderWadi BunderZakaria BunderSimilarly, in the state of Gujarat, several town names include the word bunder:
BhavnagarFerry BunderOld BunderBillimoriaVakharia BunderJambusarKavi BunderTankari BunderJamnagarBedi BunderSalaya BunderSikka BunderRozi BunderVadinar BunderKandlaJafarwadi BunderTuna BunderPorbunderValsadValsad BunderVeraval BunderBhidiya BunderKhadi BunderNava BunderVeraval BunderSanjanSanjan BunderBanda AcehBandar LampungBanjarmasinBandar AbbasBandar AnzaliBandar ImamBandar LengehBandar TorkmanBandar CharakBandar-e OlyaBandar-e Sofla, MazandaranBandar, IsfahanBandar, KermanshahBandar, YazdBondar (disambiguation)Bandor (disambiguation)Bandar Baru BangiBandar Bayan BaruBandar Tun RazakBandar SamariangBandar Seberang JayaBandar Seri PutraBandar Sri DamansaraBandar KhayranBandah JadidahBandar JissahKeti BandarShamal BandarSomalia and the East African Coast
Bandar BeylaBoosaaso, formerly known as Bandar QaasimA 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, EgyptBandar Seri Begawan, capital of BruneiBandar, AfghanistanBandar, IndiaThe Bund, a district in Shanghai, ChinaBandara, 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.