Dubai eGovernment recently launched Dubai.emarat, which will be the Arabic Internet domain of the official portal of Dubai Government and corresponds to the Latin domain dubai.ae, the UAE’s domain name in Arabic.

This initiative will for the first time allow Arab users to use the Arabic web address of Dubai Government’s portal.

The development comes after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently adopted Arabic as the first non-Latin language to be used in writing the web address in the URL address reserved for what is known as "domain name”.

This was a result of efforts by the UAE officials and their counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, under the umbrella of the Arab League.

“This recent achievement complements the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to uphold the Arab national identity,” said Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment.

“Ever since the Internet became a part of our lives in the early 90s, access to information across the network was dependent on the user’s familiarity with Latin languages, thus preventing the vast majority of Arab users from benefiting from the knowledge available on the Internet.”

“ICANN’s decision to choose the UAE as one of three countries to be allowed to use the Internet domain in its mother tongue was influenced by several factors, mainly the fact that the UAE was the first country in the Arab world to have an eGovernment. Further, Internet users in the UAE make up 74 per cent of the total population in the country according to Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO of ICANN,” added Bin Humaidan.

“The latest development opens new windows for those seeking information about Dubai, and undoubtedly enables Arabic speakers all over the world to have quick access to the content on the Dubai eGovernment portal, which has been designed to offer comprehensive information about Dubai and UAE to local and international web browsers. The portal effectively informs citizens, residents, investors and visitors about the facilities and benefits offered by Dubai,” he added.

Bin Humaidan pointed out that the launch of the Arabic domain will significantly contribute to the exchange of Arabic content across the Arab world, which in turn will lead to closer ties between the people of the Arab countries.

He noted that the launch of the Arabic domain will also contribute to the spread of Arab culture globally, especially since Arabic was recognised as the fastest-growing language in recent years in terms of the volume of content. – TradeArabia News Service