| The author supports the derivation of the toponym Chania from the Arab name of the second-largest city in Crete, Rabdh el Djobn (City of Cheese), recorded by the Arab geographer El-Sherif el-Edris (Idrisi), as he was informed of it during his visit to the island in 1145 AD. The proposed explanation assumes that from the Arabic word Djobn, also pronounced Gaba, could be derived the term *gabnia (cheese-market), giving, after dropping the letter b, the words *gania and *kania, whence Chania. |