The original ancient name, Halab, has survived as the current Arabic name of the city. It is of obscure origin. Some have proposed that "Ḥalab" means "iron" or "copper" in Amorite languages, since the area served as a major source of these metals in antiquity. Another possibility is that "Ḥalab" means 'white', as this is the word for 'white' in Aramaic, the local language which preceded regional Arabization. This may explain how "Ḥalab" became the Hebrew word for 'milk' or vice versa, as well as offering a possible explanation for the modern-day Arabic nickname of the city, ash-Shahbaa (), which means "the white-colored mixed with black" and allegedly derives from the white marble found at Aleppo.