212 CultureShock! Egypt
The Calendars Used
Business and the secular community operate under the
Gregorian calendar. However, other calendars have official
status in Egypt. The Islamic calendar is based on a lunar cycle
of 12 months of 29–30 days. Thus, the Islamic year is 11 days
shorter than a Gregorian year. As a result, Islamic holidays
and feasts occur some 10–12 days earlier each year.The Islamic Calendar
The Islamic calendar was first introduced in AD 638. The
reference point of the calendar system is the Hejira in
AD 622, and Hejira years are usually denoted by ‘AH’ (from
the latin ‘Anno Hegirae’) in Western languages. The Islamic
year begins on the first day of the first month (1 MuHarram).
Therefore, the starting date for the Islamic calendar, which is
1 MuHarram, AH 1, corresponds to 16 July 622 AD. Among
the Muslim holidays observed in Egypt are:
Ras as-Sana (celebrated at the beginning of the Islamic
calendar, the Hejira)
Mouled el-Nabi (the birth of the Prophet Muhammad)
Eid al Fitr/el-Fitr (end of Ramadan, see the next section)
Waaf el Arafa (eve of Adha)
Eid el-Adha (the Bairam celebrating the end of the annual
pilgrimage to Mecca)
Note that the Islamic calendar, like any based on
calculation, comprises only estimated dates. The calendar is