The contribution explores the circulation of the Arabic term safar ‘journey’ and
its derivatives across different areas of the Mediterranean Sea. After a swift survey of the
major meanings related to its pan-Semitic root s/ś-p-r, the study discusses the specific semantic connotation acquired by safar in its Koranic usage. Thence it follows the journey
of safar and its derivatives from the Arab shores to the Maltese archipelago, the Iberian
peninsula and, via the Turkish area, to the Balkan region. The reconstruction of the diffusion of loanwords related to safar into languages like Maltese, Spanish, Turkish, Greek,
Albanian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, and Romanian gradually reveals the existence of a
profound linguistic and cultural relationship that links, throughout the Mediterranean, the
idea of travelling to those of honouring the guest, sharing meals, and making the house
more hospitable.
