What Is Gaz?
Gaz is a traditional unit of length. It was used in many Asian countries to measure land, buildings, and cloth. It is close in size to a yard, but its exact length has changed from place to place and from time to time.
Definition
A gaz is an old style measure of distance. People used it before the meter and other modern units became common.
The exact size of a gaz is not the same everywhere. In many places it is treated as about the same as 1 yard, which is 0.9144 meter. In other places in history it was a little shorter or a little longer than this.
For simple study use, many people now think of:
- 1 gaz is about 0.9 meter
- 1 gaz is about 3 feet
These numbers are only close values, not exact, because the gaz was never fully fixed in the same way as the meter.
History / Origin
The word gaz comes from old languages used in Persia and nearby regions. It has been used for many hundreds of years.
Rulers and builders in old Persian and Mughal empires used the gaz to measure land, roads, and large buildings. Cloth sellers also used it to measure fabric for clothes and tents.
Different kings and governments set their own official length for the gaz. For example, during the Mughal period in South Asia, the gaz was a little shorter than the later British yard. Later, under British rule in India, the gaz in many places was made almost equal to 1 yard to make trade easier.
Because each region and each time period had its own rule, there is no single perfect value for the gaz in modern terms.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The gaz is not part of the International System of Units. It has no official scientific symbol.
Common short forms that people may use are:
- gaz written in full
- gz as an informal short form in lists or tables
In land records, local scripts and short forms are often used instead of a fixed global symbol.
Current Use Around the World
Today, the meter is the main unit of length in most countries. However, the gaz is still used in daily life in some areas, mostly in South Asia and parts of the Middle East.
You may still see the gaz in use in:
- India in older land records and in speech, often treated like a yard
- Pakistan in real estate and cloth markets, commonly taken as about 1 yard
- Bangladesh in fabric markets and some local building work
- Afghanistan and Iran in older texts or local talk, although many regions there had their own special gaz lengths
Modern laws and engineering work usually use meters. The gaz is more common in traditional markets, older documents, and everyday talk among people.
Example Conversions
Because the gaz changed from place to place, these conversions are only close values. Many modern users treat 1 gaz as equal to 1 yard.
Using 1 gaz ≈ 0.9144 meter
| Gaz | Meters (approx) | Feet (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gaz | 0.91 m | 3.0 ft |
| 2 gaz | 1.83 m | 6.0 ft |
| 5 gaz | 4.57 m | 15.0 ft |
| 10 gaz | 9.14 m | 30.0 ft |
From meters to gaz (approx)
If 1 gaz is taken as 0.9144 meter, then:
- 1 meter ≈ 1.09 gaz
- 5 meters ≈ 5.47 gaz
- 10 meters ≈ 10.94 gaz
Always remember to check which local value of the gaz is used in your region before doing careful calculations.
Related Units
The gaz is related to other units of length that people use in building and trade.
- Meter (m) modern standard unit of length in science and most countries
- Yard (yd) a unit used in some English speaking countries, 1 yard is 0.9144 meter, and many people treat 1 gaz as about 1 yard
- Foot (ft) 1 foot is 30.48 centimeters, about one third of a yard, so 1 gaz is close to 3 feet
- Cubit an old unit based on the length of a forearm, also used for building in ancient times
- Span or handspan old measures based on the width of a hand, which are much shorter than a gaz
FAQs
Q: Is gaz the same as a yard
A: In many modern uses in South Asia, people treat 1 gaz as equal or very close to 1 yard. However, in history the gaz was not always the same length as the yard.
Q: How many meters are in 1 gaz
A: A common modern value is about 0.91 meter for 1 gaz. Some books may give slightly different values, because older rulers used other standards.
Q: Why does the length of a gaz change
A: The gaz was set by local rulers and governments, not by a world standard. Each region could define it differently, so it changed with place and time.
Q: Is gaz still used today
A: Yes, in some markets and in daily speech in parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and nearby areas. It is often used for cloth and land size, although official work now uses meters.
Q: How do I convert gaz to feet quickly
A: If you use 1 gaz ≈ 3 feet, you can multiply the number of gaz by 3. For example, 4 gaz is about 12 feet. Remember this is an approximate rule.
Q: Is gaz an SI unit
A: No, the gaz is not an SI unit. The main SI unit for length is the meter.