Word Meaning
हफ़्त-इक़्लीम
haft-iqlīm
Meaning
The seven realms or climes; the entire inhabited world.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Islamic geography, the term refers to the seven inhabited zones or regions that constitute the known world. In this couplet, it is employed hyperbolically to suggest that a single street in Delhi possesses the grandeur and richness of the entire globe. The phrase underlines the poet's immense reverence for the cultural and emotional universe of Delhi.
Etymology
Compound of Persian 'haft' (seven) and Arabic 'iqlīm' (clime, realm, region; from Greek 'klima').
Usage
In classical ghazal, it is commonly used as a grand poetic metaphor to encompass worldly power, vastness, or the totality of the earth.
Examples
A monarch presiding over all the seven climes.
Wandering the seven climes in search of the beloved.