The Persian word Punjab is a combination of the Indo-Iranian words panj (five) and āb (water), and thus the (land of) five rivers. The five rivers are the Indus River, Chenab River, Jhelum River, Ravi River and the Sutlej River. Sometimes, in English, there can be a definite article before the name i.e. the Punjab. The name is also sometimes spelled as Panjab or Panjaab or Punjaab. The name Punjab was given to the region by Turkic Muslim conquerors and popularized during the reign of the Islamic Mughal Empire in the 17th century CE respectively. The Punjab is often referred to as the Breadbasket in both Pakistan and NW India. The ab part means river as in Punjab. *ab- was also water in Proto-Celtic carried forward to the common British river name Avon.
