Mastering Arabic Script a guide to handwriting

The Arabic alphabet and written language has remained remarkably constant since the sixth or seventh century AD, largely due to the unifying factor of the Qur'an. There is no clear documented progression in the development of the script before this time and only a limited number of original preIslamic Arabic texts exist, sometimes as scraps of stone or parchment. Arabic is a Semitic language related to Aramaic and Hebrew. The language has its roots in the nomadic oral tradition of the desert, which largely explains the lack of early examples of the Script. Although spoken Arabic dialects have diverged in the same way that Romance languages such as Italian and French have diverged from Latin, the Modem Standard Arabic of today's media is close to the language of the Qur'an and Classical literature. The spelling and grammar have not changed significantly over the centuries.