Janjira is the Marathi corruption of the Arabic jazirah meaning an island. Though the whole area was once called Janjira, the name truly referred to the mighty island fortress in the sea. The pride of Murud Janjira, Janjira Fort, was once the stronghold of the Abyssinian Sidis who played an important part in the history of the city of Bombay, in the later part of the 17th century.