Islamic New Year: Saudi Arabia announces first day of Muharram 1445 Hijri

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has announced that Tuesday will be the last day of the month of Dhul Hijjah, 1444 Hijri, corresponding to July 18, 2023.

According to Umm Al Qura calendar, Wednesday will be the first day of the month of Muharram, 1445 Hijri, corresponding to July 19, 2023, the SPA said in a statement.

In UAE, Friday, July 21, has been declared the official holiday to celebrate New Islamic Hijri Year for public and public sector employees. This comes in implementation of a Cabinet Resolution on official holidays in the public and private sectors in the UAE in 2023.

The Islamic New Year, also known as the Hijri New Year, is an important holiday for Muslims as it marks the beginning of a new lunar calendar year. It commemorates the migration, or Hijra, of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers from Mecca to Medina in the year 622.

The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, and the Hijri New Year is celebrated on a different day of the Gregorian calendar each year because the lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year.