Arabic is the language of a rich culture and civilization dating back many centuries; it was the language of Muhammad, the Muslims' Messenger of God, Islam and the Quran. This culture has produced such figures as Averroes, the medieval Aristotelian philosopher, Ibn Khaldun, the first social historian and the poet Khalil Gibran. Between the 8th and the 15th centuries the volume of literary, scholarly, and scientific book production in Arabic and the level of urban literacy among readers of Arabic were greater than any the world had ever known until that time.

Islamic artists have used Arabic script as their principal art form for centuries; the beauty of their work will be revealed to you through the study of Arabic. Arabic is spoken by over 200 million people, in an area extending from the Arabian Gulf in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. It is the language of Islam, and many millions of people use it as a vital spiritual component of their daily lives. Arabic is spoken by many of the more than four million people of Arab origin living in the United States and Canada.

Arabic Speaking Countries

The United Nations adopted Arabic as one of its six official languages in 1974. In addition to the Palestinians, the governments of eighteen countries list Arabic as their dominant mode of expression: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Arabic is also an important language in many other countries of the world.

Cultural Insights

Our lives are vitally connected to the societies of the Middle East. The study of Arabic gives profound insights into the cultural, religious, and political forces which motivate the inhabitants of that dynamic region--insights that our monolingual media seldom provide. The Middle East is the birthplace of three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in chronological order) and contains some of the world's greatest archaeological and religious sites. It is also the locus of two-thirds of the world's known oil reserves. A good knowledge of Arabic will greatly enhance the enjoyment of your travels there as well as your ability to work and interact effectively with Arabic-speaking people.