Mecca was renamed Makkah on February 3, 1983, to align with Arabic pronunciation and transliteration standards, maintaining its religious significance.

Hebrew is the primary official language, but Arabic is also legally recognized as a language with special status in Israel.

Persian, or Farsi, is the official language of Iran and is an Indo-European language, unlike the neighboring Semitic (Arabic) or Turkic languages.

Somali and Arabic are the two official languages of Somalia, reflecting its location in the Horn of Africa and close cultural ties to the Arabian Peninsula.

Arabic is the most widely spoken language in the Middle East and is official in over 20 countries.