Arabic language is a member of the Semitic group of the Hamito-Semitic family of languages. Classical Arabic language is the language of the people that live in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf. For this reason Arabic is the sacred language of the Islam and is used by Muslims throughout the world.

A modern Arabic-speaking person can comprehend the Holy Qur'an with as much proficiency as did the Arabs of fourteen centuries ago. Colloquial Arabic varies between countries and not all dialects are mutually intelligible.

Arabic is spoken as a native language by more than 130 million people, mostly found in North Africa, the Middle East, and the Arabic Peninsula.

Here are some of the basic words and phrases in Arabic that will help you get started in the United Arab Emirates and throughout the Middle East.

Mr. Mohairbi is confident that the major expansion under way in all aspects of the airport will confirm Abu Dhabi's role as both a major transit point and a major destination for the Gulf and the wider Middle East region well into the 21st century. ''Once our airport expansion program is complete,'' he says, ''Abu Dhabi International Airport will be offering services in keeping with the promise of the new millennium.''

We kept our promise to these folks and they rewarded us with not only their business, but their letters of thanks!!!