Islamic New Year holiday on August 23

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) of the UAE has announced that August 23 will be the first day of Muḥarram for Islamic year 1442.

Hence the same day will be the Hijri New Year’s holiday for federal government, and work will resume on August 24 giving UAE residents and citizens a long weekend.

The UAE has already declared Muharram 1 a public holiday for public and private sectors.

The Islamic calendar depends on the movement of the moon. The beginning of each month is marked by the observance of a new moon. Visibility of the new moon depends on various factors such as the weather.

Hijri comes from Arabic word Hijrah, which means migration. It marks 1,442 years since the migration of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah, Islam’s holiest cities in Saudi Arabia.