Xiber
A traditional measure associated with a hand span. Conversion uses a standard fraction of the qasba, not the span of an individual person.
Convert with this measure ↗Historical use
A traditional measure associated with a hand span. Conversion uses a standard fraction of the qasba, not the span of an individual person.
The qasba, xiber and pulzier form a system of length. A linear qasba and a square qasba measure different dimensions.
Alternative names
palmopalmixbar
Relationships between measures
8 xiber = 1 qasba; 12 pulzier = 1 xiber.
Variations & cautions
Later qasba system
Construction and old plans require attention to the standard. Bianco discusses a 2.088 m factor; later tables are represented here by a qasba of about 2.096 m.
A calculation can be mathematically precise while its historical equivalence remains approximate. Each variant here carries its context and sources. Displaying more decimal places does not make a rounded value more certain.
Worked conversions
- 1 × Xiber≈ 0.261938 m
- 2 × Xiber≈ 0.523875 m
- 10 × Xiber≈ 2.619375 m
Example: amount × factor = metric equivalent. Calculations use the full stored factor and round only for display.
Qasba. Xiber. Pulzier.
Construction and old plans require attention to the standard. Bianco discusses a 2.088 m factor; later tables are represented here by a qasba of about 2.096 m.
- Qasba
- ≈ 2.0955 m
- Xiber
- ≈ 0.2619 m
- Pulzier
- ≈ 0.0218 m
Sources & method
- Malta Blue Book 1935 — Weights and Measures, section 19 ↗
Historical tables in the NSO archive. Digitised text contains errors; values here are qualified approximations.
- Unitajiet ta’ kejl Maltin — Wikipedija ↗
Starting point for names and meanings; not a sole authority.
- Lino Bianco — Cartographic representations in early eighteenth century Baroque Malta ↗
Study of a 1737 plan; discusses a 2.088 m cane and relationships between land units.