We associate something mysterious and mystical with the word 'Orient': enchantingly bustling cities, colorful souqs, wonderful mosques decorated with arabesques, lonely desert landscapes, veiled Bedouins.... All this sounds a lot like a fairy tale from the Arabian Nights. The Orient seems so different from Europe and America.

But where does the Orient actually begin and where does it end? What is the orient? The word 'Orient' comes from Latin and means 'rising sun' or 'east'. It is often said simply that the Orient is where Arabic is spoken.