Place names of Arabic origin in the streets of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

This study aimed to conduct linguistic research focusing on the urban toponymic lexicon of Belo Horizonte, analyzing 68 place names of Arabic origin from among all public places in the city. This study is part of the ATEMIG Project - Toponymic Atlas of the State of Minas Gerais - coordinated and developed at the Faculty of Letters of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, by Prof. Maria C ndida Trindade Costa de Seabra. Planned to be the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte received a significant number of Arab immigrants, mainly in the first half of the 20th century, attracted by job opportunities. The aim of this research is to demonstrate that the study of place names makes it possible to recover part of the local history and culture of a community, since toponymy, in addition to perpetuating characteristics of the physical environment (vegetation, hydrography, geomorphology, fauna, etc.), reveals marks of social history (ethnic formation, migratory processes, settlement system of an administrative region).