Guz
Encyclopedia
A guz also written as gaz, guzz, guj or gudge, is an obsolete unit of length
used in parts of Asia
. It is a regionally variable measurement, corresponding culturally to the yard
in that it was often used for measuring textiles. Values of the guz range from 24 inch
es to 41 inches.
at the end of the 17th century was quoted as being 28½ inches. By 1875, the average value of the guz in Bengal
was 36 inches (that is, one yard), but was 33 inches in Madras and 27 inches in Bombay.
The gaz is still commonly used in India and Pakistan. It was first established during the Mughal Empire
. One gaz is equal in length to one yard in the English system, or 0.91 metres in the Metric system
. The term is used interchangeably with "yard" in the Indian subcontinent
, and has become the standard word in Urdu
for "yard".
Unit of length
Many different units of length have been used across the world. The main units in modern use are U.S. customary units in the United States and the Metric system elsewhere. British Imperial units are still used for some purposes in the United Kingdom and some other countries...
used in parts of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It is a regionally variable measurement, corresponding culturally to the yard
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
in that it was often used for measuring textiles. Values of the guz range from 24 inch
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
es to 41 inches.
India and Pakistan
The guz in RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
at the end of the 17th century was quoted as being 28½ inches. By 1875, the average value of the guz in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
was 36 inches (that is, one yard), but was 33 inches in Madras and 27 inches in Bombay.
The gaz is still commonly used in India and Pakistan. It was first established during the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. One gaz is equal in length to one yard in the English system, or 0.91 metres in the Metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
. The term is used interchangeably with "yard" in the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, and has become the standard word in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
for "yard".