PAL

Ptolemaeus Arabus et Latinus

_ (the underscore) is the placeholder for exactly one character.
% (the percent sign) is the placeholder for no, one or more than one character.
%% (two percent signs) is the placeholder for no, one or more than one character, but not for blank space (so that a search ends at word boundaries).

At the beginning and at the end, these placeholders are superfluous.

منتهى الشمال ‘northern limit’

Arabic

References: PH Morelon: I.3:6, 19:17; I.9:4, 29:13
Translation of:
Greek: βόρειον πέρας [PH Heiberg: I.3:6, 74:22; I.9:4, 82:16]
Modern translations:
French: limite boréale [PH Morelon: I.3:6, 18:23; I.9:4, 28:17]
German: Nordgrenze, Nordpunkt [PH Nix: I.3:6, 75:31; I.9:4, 83:20]