Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, was created around the 1600’s in Central Asia.  The word ‘Urdu’ comes from the Turkish word ‘ordu’ meaning ‘camp’ or ‘army’.  It was used as a unifying communication tool between the Muslim soldiers during their conquest of Ancient India (including Countries east until Myanmar) and Eastern Persia.  These soldiers were of Persian, Arab, or Turkish descent.  The majority of the soldiers, however, were of Persian origin.  This directly affected the language to be used between them.  The language of the government and that which dominated earlier on was Farsi, but eventually changed to Urdu to accommodate the other races.  Despite the fact, Urdu vocabulary contains approximately 70% Farsi and the rest being a mix of Arabic and Turkish.  The grammar takes some elements from Farsi and Arabic but also has elements that are unique and different from all three of its mother tongues.  In current times, however, many Urdu speakers have adopted many English and Hindi terms following the effects of globalization and the success of Bollywood, the Indian film industry, in Pakistan.

      The purpose of this site is to inform viewers about the history, current situation, and future of the Urdu language.  Further information can be found on the other pages by clicking the tabs located at the top of this page.