wakia

A romanization of the Arabic word often romanized as uqiya, derived from the Latin uncia, as is the English word “ounce.” In Latin “uncia” meant one-twelfth as well as the unit of mass which was 1/12th of a libra. The ratio often survives in the word's descendants: uncia: libra; troy ounce: troy pound; uqiya: ratl.

1

In Kenya, ? – 20^th century, a unit of mass, = 1 ounce avoirdupois, approximately 28.3495 grams. (UN 1966)

2

In Timbuktu, ? – late 19th century, a unit of mass, about 27.5 grams. This is the North African trade ounce.

Augustin Hacquard.
Monographie de Tombouctou accompagnée de nombreuses illustrations et d'une carte de la région de Tombouctou, dressée d'après les documents les plus récents.
Paris: Société des études coloniales & maritimes, 1900.

3

Romanized as vakia, mid 19th century, at Mocha in Yemen, a unit of mass, about 31.7 grams. (Waterston, 1855) This particular uqiya standard is based on the Roman gold coin called the aureus, first minted by Augustus. The Arabs took 1 uqiya (of this type) to be equal to 6 2/3 aurei.