Belly dance is a Western name for an Arabic style of dance developed in the Middle East. In Europe, it is sometimes called oriental dance. Similarly, In Turkish it is referred to as oryantal dansi ("Dance of the East"). Some American devotees refer to it simply as "Middle Eastern Dance". In the Arabic language it is known as raqs sharqi ("eastern dance") or sometimes raqs baladi ("national" or "folk" dance). The term "raqs sharqi" may have originated in Egypt. The term belly-dance is a creation of Orientalism, and is first attested in English in 1899, translating French danse du ventre