This bowl was probably created in or near Anatolia (present-day Turkey), much of which was under the control of the medieval Byzantine empire, or in the eastern Mediterranean, which was under Islamic or crusader control in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
If we look at bowls made in this region during a similar time period, they are comparable in color and style. The division of the bowl into four quadrants is similar throughout the pieces. Many bowls utilize a green pigment instead of a cobalt blue color, but both were popular choices during the time period.

This map shows about where the bowl was created. It is important to remember Anatolia's proximity to the Middle East, whose primary language is Arabic. Christian monasteries within the Middle East, including ones in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, sometimes used Arabic to communicate theological and liturgical doctrine. It is entirely possible that Byzantine Christians within the Church hierarchy living within Anatolia would have known some conversational Arabic to communicate with those in surrounding Church communities.

The use of pseudo-Arabic would have been more than only an aesthetic attribute. It functioned as an invitation to communication in Arabic, a language which was used across multiple faiths.