The Department of Arabic was evolved from the discipline of Arabic set up by the School of Foreign Affairs in 1958. In 1981, the Department of Arabic came into birth. In 1980, it took the lead to develop graduate program for Arabic Language and Literature in China, and was also the first faculty to enroll doctoral students in Arabic Language and Literature nationwide in 1986. In 1992, it was approved to enroll postdoctoral students in Arabic Language and Literature.
Moreover, it was ratified as a Key Discipline in Beijing in 2002. Six years later, it was granted as the Excellent Key Discipline in Beijing and the characteristic discipline by the Ministry of Education. In 2008, the department was awarded as the Outstanding Teaching Team in Beijing. The courses offered by the Department of Arabic has shifted from pure Arabic Language and Literature to the current Arabic Language, Literature, Social and Cultural Studies, Economy and Trade, as well as Politics and Diplomacy.
Now the teaching staff of the department consists of sixteen teachers. Among them, six are professors (including PhD qualified tutors), and another six are associate professors. Seven of the faculty members have a PhD degree.