Bank holiday in UAE for Islamic New Year declared

The New Islamic Year holiday for banking sector in the UAE will be on Sunday, August 23, and official work will resume on Monday, August 24.

Earlier, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) announced that private sector employees in the UAE will get a holiday for the Hijri New Year on Sunday 23, the 1st of Muharram 1442.

Sunday will also be Hijri New Year holiday for federal government employees, and work to resume on Monday 24, according to the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR)

Earlier this year, UAE had announced that the holiday calendar would be unified for the public and private sectors.

What is Hijri New Year?

Hijri is derived from Arabic word Hijrah, which means migration.

The solemn occasion marks 1442 years since the migration of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah, Islam’s holiest cities in Saudi Arabia.