Layla, a name that makes me think of water lapping on the shore of a lake in an oasis, the sea in the evening and golden sands and 80's beach parties, but I have always where does it come from? It is famous since the unforgettable rock ballad, but the name itself has three possible sources, both from the Middle East and has been the feature of several songs in different ways.
Perhaps the most likely (and most romantic) source is the chronicle of Qays and Layla, a famous Arabic romantic tragedy chronicled by Persian poet Nezami in the 12th century. Nezami was a very learned man and was patronised by many princes and kings of the time, a little like the parallel process in Europe of the same era, whose Troubadors composed poems for their royal sponsors. Layla was a real 7th Century woman from the Persian tribe of Bani 'Amir and according to the chronicle, her lover, Qays ibn Al-Mulawwah, also a real person, fell passionately in love with Layla and wrote a poem about her. when he asked for her hand in marriage, her father refused for reasons of tradition and Layla married another man. This drove Qays insane and he wandered aimlessly around the desert. writing poetry in the sand with his stick. Eventually he was found dead next to a grave of an unknown woman, having carved three verses of poetry into a nearby rock. Layla herself was forced to move away by her husband, became ill and eventually died. A Saudi-Arabian singer Mohammed Abdu, wrote a song called "Layla-Layla" that is famous in the country.
The second source is the town of Layla (Layla al Aflaj) in Saudi Arabia. It is an old town, built on an oasis about 300 miles south of Riyad. Just outside is Layla lake, where the famous subject of Nezami's story is said to have bathed.
Thirdly, Layla in Hebrew means "night". This brings to mind connotations of peace and romance. Nights of passion and secret love are in the name. Layla Tov in Hebrew means Goodnight, and although the pronunciation is different from the word Layla in the rock song, it appears in another song by Dana International, of Israeli Eurovision song contest fame, entitled "Layla Tov Europa" (Goodnight Europe). In Hebrew (which is read from right to left) the word Layla is written as follows:
Whatever else, Layla remains a romantic name and like the Layla of the legend, will always inspire those romantics, poets and songwrites who know her origins.