Corniche
A corniche is a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side and falling away on the other. The word has been absorbed into English from the French term route à corniche or "road on a ledge", originally derived from the Italian cornice, for "ledge".
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Europe
France
Three famed corniche roads of the Côte d'Azur in the French Riviera run between the sea and mountains from Nice eastward toward Menton. They are known as the Corniche Inferieure (or Basse Corniche[1]) along the coast, the Moyenne Corniche slightly inland, and the Grande Corniche along the upper cliffs.[2]
The Corniche Inferieure passes through the principality of Monaco. The Grande Corniche featured prominently in the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief.
Italy
The Amalfi Drive, along the Amalfi Coast south of Naples, is a road carved into the cliffs along the Mediterranean Sea, and can be classified as a corniche. It runs between Sorrento and Amalfi and was originally built by the Romans.
Africa
Senegal
The coastal road facing the Atlantic Ocean in the capital city of Dakar is called the Corniche Ouest and runs along a cliff above the beaches and rocky shores.
South Africa
Many of the roads running around the Cape Peninsular, south of Cape Town, have been constructed in the form of corniches. A good example is part of Victoria Road running through the suburbs of Clifton and Bantry Bay.
Egypt
Any waterfront passage along a body of water is classed as a corniche in Egypt. Most cities in the country have corniches. On the Nile are "Corniche Giza" and "Corniche Cairo", the longest Egyptian corniche. Other cities such as Mansoura, Damietta and Luxor also have corniches.
- The promenade that runs from the Nile Towers hotel to the district of Maadi is colloquially called Corniche El-Nil
- The promenade that runs from the Giza Zoo to the balloon theater in Agouza is colloquially known as Corniche EL-Giza
- The promenade running from Montazah Palace walls to the Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria is known as Corniche (Alexandria)
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Though the word itself comes from a French Origin, Egypt's cultural influence has made neighboring Arab countries – that aren't francophone or have no French influence in them – to adopt the word. These include Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
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Middle East
Lebanon
The avenue that runs along the western and northern coast of the Beirut peninsula is colloquially called Corniche Beirut.
Qatar
The promenade that runs for several kilometers along the Doha Bay of Doha is colloquially called Doha Corniche.
United Arab Emirates
- The promenade that runs from the Emirates Palace hotel to the fish market in Abu Dhabi is colloquially called the Corniche.
- in Ajman, the corniche is the road that runs from ajman beach to ajman marina, with the beautiful skyline of the city and the tall skyscrapers thar stand along the road.
- In Sharjah, the road surrounding Khalid Lagoon is known as Buheira Corniche, though not a true corniche as it is near sea level and not following a cliff line.
- Several other waterfront roads and promenades in the Emirates are also referred to as Corniche, including the Deira Corniche, Fujairah Corniche, and the Jumeirah Corniche.
Saudi Arabia
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Dammam corniche, Qatif corniche, Khobar corniche, Ras Tanura corniche, Jeddah Corniche, Yanbu corniche, Al Jubail corniche, Khafji corniche
India
References
External links
The dictionary definition of corniche at Wiktionary