Semitic Language – Arabic
A lecture on Human & Minority Rights in Islam
Arab Academy’s on-campus students had an exciting lecture on Human & Minority Rights in Islam given by Prof. Ahmed Abou el-Wafa, the head of International Law Department, Law School, Cairo University.
In Islam, non-Muslim minorities receive rights and privileges that include:
- Minorities’ right to freedom of belief
- Warning against doing non-Muslims injustice
- Protection of non-Muslims’ funds
New Year’s Offer
2012 is coming soon! Make it a different year and take advantage of our New Year’s Offer. Give the perfect gift to yourself, a family member or a friend.
For a limited time only, you can now register for an Arabic course with Arab Academy and get an Arabic Keyboard FREE.
Through this offer, you will receive an Arabic keyboard worth $30 delivered free to your door (as well as free postage and packaging worldwide), so you can start practicing on your Arabic keyboard straightaway!
With students from over 190 countries, Arab Academy is recognized worldwide as the leading provider of online Arabic language courses.
This offer is valid until 6 January 2012 only.
To take advantage of this offer, visit:
http://www.arabacademy.com/en/
For feedback on our online courses from other students, visit:
http://www.arabacademy.com/en/
Holidays and Traditions in Arabic Countries
Holidays in Arabic Countries
There are a number of holidays and traditions throughout the Arabic world that have a history going back many centuries. Different countries may have different ways to celebrate these occasions, but the meaning and purpose is generally the same. Whether there is a religious or spiritual element of the holiday or it is a time to enjoy being with family and friends, these festivities and traditions are a great way to experience the Arabic culture.
Two of the major holidays (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) follow some of the most important traditions in the year. The celebrations are a time to reflect and develop spiritually, and take the time to be close to loved ones.
Eid al-Fitr
In the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast Breaking) is celebrated after spending the previous month of Ramadan fasting. While celebrations may be different from region to region, it is usually a three-day period that begins on the first day of the month Shawwal. On the day of Eid people will get together in the morning, either in a nice outdoor location or at a mosque, for the Eid prayer. After that they will head off to meet with family and friends for some wonderful meals and some gift-giving.
Ramadan
Ramadan directly precedes Eid al-Fitr with a month of fasting and spiritual reflection. If a person is physically able (there are special rules for those who may be infirm or have other medical needs), they are required to fast from sunup to sundown every day of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Evening meals are usually held with the family or the community where you can also share prayers and spiritual reflection, and many cities decorate their streets with lights or other ornaments to celebrate the month.
The fasting during Ramadan is about more than just going without food and water, though. It is about purifying both body and soul. It is an opportunity to refrain from speaking ill of others, listening to obscenities, and seeing the wrong things. This is also a great chance to do charitable acts for others, and go out of your way to help people in need.
Eid al-Adha
The Festival of Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) is a religious holiday that commemorates Abraham and Ishmael’s trial of obedience. It is held on the tenth day of the last month of the year, just after the end of the Hajj. This is also generally a three-day celebration that starts with the Eid prayer in the morning. During the holiday people will visit friends and family, but mostly it is a time to show that you are also willing to make sacrifices.
Hajj
Hajj takes place in the 12th month of the year, and it is the time for the pilgrimage to Mecca. This is one of the more famous traditions in the Arabic world. Millions of Muslims make the journey to Mecca every year, and the sheer enormity of it is fascinating. Pilgrims have the opportunity to examine and renew their spiritual lives and take part in a tradition that is centuries upon centuries old. While access to Mecca is restricted to Muslims only, there are some great documentaries that can give others an impression of what it’s really like.
Experience for Yourself
Participating in some of these holidays and traditions is, for many, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you find yourself with a chance to experience something like this, don’t pass it by. If you have to learn Arabic online before going, or if you have to start a special savings account, it will all be worth it. These cultural traditions and holidays have an incredible history, and this is a chance to see what they are really like.
Our Students Learn Arabic To The Tunes Of Umm Kulthum
Trip to Umm Kulthum Museum
Last November, our on-campus students had a memorable trip to Umm Kulthum Museum located in one of Cairo’s most prominent districts, Zamalik. This small museum is solely dedicated to the legendary icon Umm Kulthum (1898 – 1975). Most Arabs share a deep attachment to the voice of “Kawkab elSharq” or “Voice of the East” as she is called; she is arguably the Arab world’s most treasured singer from the 1940s through the present and regarded as the greatest female singer in Arab music history.
Umm Kulthum’s stardom peaked during the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, where listeners all around the Arab World used to avidly wait for her 6-hour concerts, broadcast on the first Thursday of the month. These concerts cleared the streets of Cairo as people made their way home and to cafes to listen. She died in 1975 of heart failure and her funeral was packed by millions of mourners who carried her body to the mosque of al-Sayyid Husayn.
Learning the Arabic Language through music is a great method to pick up the proper pronunciation and get to know the Arabic culture. Listening to Arabic songs and singing along them is a fun and amusing way to widen from your vocabulary list. You can download one of Umm Kulthum’s epic songs like Enta Omri – (“You Are the love of my life”), Sirat el Houb (“Tale of Love”) or Alf Leila wa Leila (“One Thousand and One Nights”), learn its lyrics and enjoy!
Learning Arabic Through Music
Arabic Made Easy!
Music and singing helps in any language learning progress, especially in learning the Arabic language. You can easily learn Arabic through music and songs.
Listening to Arabic music and songs makes a huge difference in learning more about the Arabic culture and getting along with the Arab natives. It can break down any cultural barrier and makes you connect easily with different people. It helps you expand your Arabic vocabulary, slang/ typical phrases and idioms as well as improve your accent and pronunciation. More importantly it is an easy and fun way to learn Arabic, as singing creates good atmosphere in Arabic courses and classes as people relate to songs as part of entertainment rather than work and find learning vocabulary through songs amusing rather than tedious.
Tips for learning Arabic through music:
- Pick your favourite type of music:
- If you wish to learn Egyptian Arabic or Lebanese Arabic and pick their dialect, then look for new pop Arabic songs
- If you wish to strengthen your Standard Arabic, then choose one of the oldies songs
Enjoy!
The Best Way to Learn Arabic Online
The Best Way to Learn Arabic Online:
If you’d like to learn Arabic but don’t have the necessary funds or time to travel to Egypt or Algeria, taking Arabic lessons online is a good option. Learning the language this way takes a lot of dedication and self motivation, but if you are willing to work hard, this method can be just as effective as a traditional language learning course.
If you are interested in learning this important language, then here are a few tips to get you started in your online Arabic learning process.
- Study vocabulary and grammar. These are the building blocks of any language, and it is essential to understand the way in which Arabic vocabulary and grammar works in order to thoroughly learn the language. The best way to study these language basics may not be through rote memorization, however. A great way to take advantage of all the online Arabic learning experience has to offer is to practice these things through the use of activities, games, and real life situations to give you a feel for how the language functions.
- Practice reading and writing: Just like reading and writing in your native language can help broaden your knowledge, doing these activities when you are learning Arabic can help you cement the concepts that you have learned already and widen your expertise in the language.
- Get a learning buddy. Recruit someone to join with you as you learn Arabic. If you cannot convince one of your friends or coworkers to learn with you, try to find someone online who has about your level of Arabic proficiency to practice with. As the two of you learn together, you can encourage each other in your progress.
- Practice with native speakers. There really is no substitute for talking with someone who speaks Arabic natively, and luckily for language learners this is easy to do over the internet. Get involved with the online Arabic community and practice your language skills with someone who can give you honest feedback about your pronunciation and grammar. Most native speakers are happy to assist students with helpful comments and encouragement.
- Learn more about the culture. A good way to deepen your understanding of the Arabic language is to learn more about the people who speak it and their culture. As you study building blocks like the alphabet, make sure to get a good foundation in the history and culture of Arabic and the Arabic-speaking countries as well.
Learning Arabic online is an adventure of discovery. Make sure to get the most out of the technology.
Our Students Have Fun Cooking While They Learn Arabic
Eid al-Adha
During the first week of this November, Muslims all around the world celebrated Eid al-Adha (the Greater Eid). Eid al-Adha is an important religious feast celebrated annually on the 10th day of the Islamic Month Dhu al Hijjah; it starts after the Hajj (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims) and lasts for 4 days. Islamic and Arab countries announce official holiday during those days.
Muslims and Arabs keep several traditions during this Islamic festival; they dress up with their finest clothes and go to mosques to pray the Eid prayer and visit their families and friends. Those Muslims who can afford, sacrifice an animal and distribute third of its meat on the poor, usually it is a cow or a goat or sheep depending on the region. Distributing meat amongst people, making contributions to the poor, charity work and families’ visits are prominent traditions of this festival.
In Egypt it is no different than any other Muslim country, however there is one special thing that is common in all Egyptian homes but not anywhere else which is the iconic meal of “Egyptian Fatta”. Egyptian Fatta is a ruling dish in Eid al-Adha, and consists of meat, rice, bread and red sauce.
You can uncover more about Islam, Arabic culture and traditions when you learn Arabic. Learning the Arabic language will open you up to the deep and rich world of Islam. You can spend a summer, semester, or full year abroad practicing your Arabic language skills and learning firsthand about Arab culture. At Arab Academy, our on-campus students had the chance to live this formidable Islamic festival while taking Arabic lessons. They learnt how to cook the Egyptian fatta on the hands of one of Egypt’s many talented chefs.
Arabic Speaking Countries of the World
Arabic Speaking Countries of the World
Learning Arabic can open up doors for you all over the world. Currently, Arabic is the fifth most spoken language in the world, and is the official language of over 20 countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Some estimates say that more than 200 million people call Arabic their first language and each of their countries are home to a fascinating cultural heritage.
Just of few of the countries that list Arabic as the official language include:
- Algeria
- Bahrain
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Libya
- Morocco
- Sudan
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates
- Palestine
There are also many countries that don’t list Arabic as the official language, but large portions of the population still speak it as their first language. Beyond those countries, Arabic is also an official language of groups like the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference, and the African Union.
Seeing It for Yourself
These countries all have an amazing history, and their cultural influence is felt throughout the world. When you start taking Arabic lessons, a major part of the world can open up for you. Many of these nations are fast-growing market for international trade and travel, and when you can speak the language, you will find that your entire experience with the country will change. You will be able to speak with real people and see for yourself what it’s like in these countries.
Where would you go if so many options were suddenly open to you? Would you see the pyramids in Egypt, or would you tour some of the famous locations in Israel? The people, art, music, food and entertainment in these countries are very diverse, and you could spend a lifetime just becoming familiar with one of those cultures. The first step to immersing yourself in these countries and their cultures is to build a foundation with the language, and the next one is to go there and see it all yourself.
Step Pyramid of Zoser
Sakkara is best known for the Step Pyramid, the oldest known of Egypt’s 97 pyramids. It was built for King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty by the architect and genius Imhotep. Imhotep was the first to build stone tombs in honor of the king’s majesty.
The Step Pyramid was planned with six stacked terraces (or mastabas) of large stone blocks and was originally encased in polished white limestone.
Egypt’ is very rich with touristic sites like Sakkara and the Pyramids of Giza; students from all around the world visit Egypt in order to learn Arabic and at the same time visit these breathtaking sites. Not only do students travel to Egypt to have Arabic courses, but also tourists, curious backpack-travelers, Middle-Eastern postgraduate students and Egyptologists visit Egypt wishing to explore the country and its old history.
Posted in Ancient Egypt, Semitic Language - Arabic | 
Tags: Egypt, Explore, History, Learn Arabic, Pyramids, Tourists | Comments »
The White Desert
The White Desert in Egypt is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The desert has a white, cream color and a massive chalk rock formations that have been created as a result of occasional sandstorms in the area. It is totally safe to stay overnight. The only animal you may see (if you are lucky) is the small desert fox that will come late at night and eat the leftovers of your dinner.
To learn more about the Arab geographies and splendid landscape, you can register for one of our Arabic courses where you can learn Arabic online as well as delve deeper into Arabic culture.
Posted in Discover Egypt, Semitic Language - Arabic | Tags: Arabic Culture, Arabic Lessons, Egypt, Explore, Geography | Comments »
