SAHARA

The huge toponym is simply obliged to be looked at from the Kartvelian languages height.

The Portuguese spelling of the word - Saara - only strengthens the feeling that Sa- is the prefix. If so, then the root that bears the main meaning, is AR.

It's not hard to find the appropriate meaning. We know that 'arena' and 'areia' are 'sand' in Spanish and Portugese. Both words come from the Latin 'areo' meaning 'dry', 'hot', 'waterless'. The Kartvelian analogical root has not been found so far, but it could have been lost in history. Or, even, could have never come to Sakartvelo, in fact...