The word corniche typically refers to a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side of the road and falling away on the other. The word comes from the French route à corniche or road on a ledge — which is different from cornice, which comes from Italian.
Corniche in the Arabic language generally refers to a headland formed at land's end, which describes a most remote geographical border of a mainland by a water line, with a natural corner, usually, or a cliff.
In Middle East countries, including Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the word typically describes a waterfront promenade usually paralleled by a main road, such as the renowned Corniche Beirut and the Doha Corniche. In Cairo, the Corniche ("كورنيش" IPA: [koɾˈneːʃ]) — the French word borrowed into Arabic — runs alongside the River Nile. Luxor, Aswan, Maadi, and Cairo all have such corniches. However, Alexandria's Corniche forms a notable exception: it runs along the harbour. In the Gulf States, the corniche often runs along the coast.