In the story of the same name, what connotations does the word "Araby" have for the narrator?

For the narrator, the word Araby conjures up exotic visions of all that is missing in his daily life: color, wealth, beauty, romance, and mystery. These feelings are especially strong when the concept of Araby illuminates his reveries about Mangan's sister:

The syllables of the word Araby were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated and cast an Eastern enchantment over me.

Just the word itself draws the narrator out of his own drab life into one of rich and exciting possibilities.