Dunam sizes by region
| Region | m² | sq ft | acres | hectares |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric dunam (Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Balkans)default | 1,000 | 10,763.91 | 0.247105 | 0.1 |
| Iraq | 2,500 | 26,909.78 | 0.617763 | 0.25 |
| Cyprus (before 1986) | 1,337.8 | 14,400 | 0.330579 | 0.13378 |
| Old Turkish dunam (Palestine, before 1928) | 919.3 | 9,895.26 | 0.227164 | 0.09193 |
- Metric dunam (Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Balkans): = 1,000 m² = 1 decare = 0.1 ha
- Iraq: = 2,500 m² = 0.25 ha
- Cyprus (before 1986): = 4 evlek of 3,600 sq ft = 14,400 sq ft = 40/121 acre
- Old Turkish dunam (Palestine, before 1928): Ottoman-era dunam ≈ 919.3 m²
About the dunam
The dönüm (“turning”) was the Ottoman unit for the land a team could plough in a day, and its size varied from place to place. Most countries that kept it have redefined it as exactly 1,000 m², a decare: that is the dunam used today in Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Syria and the Balkans. Ten metric dunams make a hectare.
Iraq kept a larger dunam of 2,500 m² (a quarter hectare), and Iraq’s statistics office states that conversion in its agricultural tables. Cyprus used a donum of 14,400 sq ft (about 1,337.8 m²), divided into 4 evlek, until it went metric in 1986, so older Cypriot deeds may use it. In Ottoman and early Mandate Palestine the dunam was about 919.3 m², until the metric dunam was adopted in 1928.
Because the same word covers several sizes, check the date and origin of the document. The land registry is the authority for any specific parcel.
Related measures
- 10 metric dunams = 1 hectare
- 1 acre ≈ 4.05 metric dunams
- 4 Iraqi dunams = 1 hectare
- 1 Cypriot donum = 4 evlek
Quick table
Using the Metric dunam (Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Balkans) value.
| Dunam | Square feet | Square meters | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10,763.91 | 1,000 | 0.247105 |
| 2 | 21,527.82 | 2,000 | 0.494211 |
| 5 | 53,819.55 | 5,000 | 1.2355 |
| 10 | 107,639.1 | 10,000 | 2.4711 |
| 20 | 215,278.21 | 20,000 | 4.9421 |
| 50 | 538,195.52 | 50,000 | 12.3553 |
| 100 | 1,076,391.04 | 100,000 | 24.7105 |
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dunam (metric dunam; Israel Central Bureau of Statistics) (Metric dunam (Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Balkans))
- Central Statistical Organization of Iraq (COSIT), Annual Abstract of Statistics 2024, agriculture (Iraq)
- Wikipedia: Cypriot units of measurement (Cardarelli 2003) (Cyprus (before 1986))
- Wikipedia: Dunam (El-Eini, Mandated Landscape, 2006) (Old Turkish dunam (Palestine, before 1928))
Spotted a value that’s wrong for your area, or a regional value we should add? Email support@landmeasure.app with a source.