Alem

Alem is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 10 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch. The name of the town is derived from the Germanic word Alaheim, which means 'whole village'.

In 2001, the town of Alem had 450 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.12 km², and contained 145 residences. The statistical area "Alem", which also can include the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 660.

Until 1958, Alem, Maren en Kessel was a separate municipality, then part of the province of North Brabant. The villages of Maren and Maren-Kessel are now part of the municipality of Lith.

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Alem (disambiguation)

Alem may refer to:

Alem (finial)

An Alem (Arabic: أليم‎, Turkish: Alem) is a type of metal finial. Although the terms used are somewhat fluid, in Ottoman Turkish, the word alem means a military banner consisting of a tall pole (sap) with a silk flag or banner (sancak) topped by a metal finial (saifa). In modern Turkish, sancak can apply to the whole standard and not simply the fabric of the banner. The word alem came to be applied to the decoration at the top of the flagpole. The central Asian tugh with yak or horse hair (instead of a flag) can also be topped by an alem.

One or more metal protective cases or boxes (muhafazas) - often octagonal - containing a diminutive copy of the Qu'ran were attached below the alem by a cord or chain.

After the rise of Islam (and especially after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453) the word alem also came to be applied to the architectural device which caps a minaret, dome of a mosque or minber (pulpit). It may incorporate an Islamic emblem of the crescent (with star), a tulip or other shape.