AZ-HAR means "flower" in the Moorish language and a flower was depicted on that side of the gambling dice that spelled instant loss. So in Portugues AZAR came to mean "bad luck". During the cruzades the very popular game - and word - spread all over Europe, by which the Spanish AZAR and the Catalan ATZAR got their meanig of "fate" and the French HASARD "opportunity, chance". That the game was exiting migth be proved by the Italian AZZARDO for "venture" or the English HASARD for "risk, danger". By German aristocratic circles, where HAZARD was a popular gambling game, the word reached in the 18-th century Russia, where AZART came to mean "the passion to put everything at stake". In 1989 The Ship Of Fools was purchased and called AZART (ART from A to Z). In 1994 Amsterdam Town Council named its homeport AZART SQUARE.
Azart, a game played under the walls of Jerusalem
Azart Square, still unofficial (1992)
Subtitle presented by Zeeburg Council
"The Wheel of Fortune", Albrecht Dürer, illustration from "Das Narrenschiff"(1494).
AZ-HAR Morish, 8-th century Flower
AZAR Portugues 10-th century Bad Luck
AZAR Spanish 11-th century Fate
HASARD French 12- th century - Chance
AZZARDO Italian 12-th century Venture
HAZARD English, 13-th century Danger, Risk
HAZARD German, 17- th century Game, Gamble
HAZARDZISTA Polish, 18- th century Professional Gambler
AZART Russian 18-th century Passion for gamble
AZART February 1989 ART from A to Z
Name of the M/S Azart, Ship Of Fools
AZART SQUARE April 1994
Homeport of the ship, named by Amsterdams City Council
