The "Desert of Paran" is also interpreted as Hijaz in an old Arabic translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch. When it was translated into English in 1851, it was found to include a footnote making this interpretation. The name 'Paran' or 'Faran' has often been used to refer specifically to the wilderness and mountains near where Mecca is situated. Al-Hamdani in his book "Geography of the Arabic Peninsula" says that the Paran mountains around Mecca were named after Paran son of Amalek. Sam'ni in his "Book of Surnames" also says that the surname "Farani" is derived from the Faran mountains near Mecca in Hijaz