There are many calendars in use in the world today, and that by which the Western world operates is the Gregorian calendar. This calendar has 365 days (366 every four years for leap year), and is based on one solar year. The Gregorian calendar was instituted in 1582 to replace the Julian calendar, which had been instituted in 45 BC under Julius Caesar. The Julian calendar was off by 11 minutes; therefore, every 134 years, it would be off by one day. However, because the institution of the new calendar was decreed by a pope (Gregory XIII) during a time of religious strife in Europe, the calendar was not universally accepted in Europe. For example, it wasn’t adopted in England until 1752 (when September 2 was followed by September 14, to catch up). (Some Orthodox and Eastern Christians still use the Julian calendar for religious, though not secular observance.)
But Saudi Arabia follows the Islamic, or Hejira calendar, which is a lunar calendar. The Islamic calendar has 12 months, which are 29 or 30 days long, so the Islamic calendar year is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar year. The Islamic calendar began in 622, the year in which the prophet Mohamed and his followers left Mecca for Medina. (For reference it was on July 16, 622 of the Julian calendar.) In November 2008 (according to the Gregorian calendar) the year, according to the Hejira calendar, was 1429. Note: Other Gulf countries typically use the Islamic calendar for religious purposes, but the Gregorian for secular purposes.
The names of the months in the Islamic calendar are: Muharram; Safar; Rabi' al-awwal; Rabi' al-thani; Jumada al-awwal; Jumada al-thani; Rajab; Sha'aban; Ramadan; Shawwal; Dhu al-Qi'dah; Dhu al-Hijjah.
The names of the days of the week are: yaum al-ahad (“first day,” i.e., Sunday); yaum al-ithnayn (“second day,” i.e., Monday); yaum ath-thalatha (“third day,” i.e., Tuesday); yaum al-arbia’a (“fourth day,” i.e., Wednesday); yaum al-khamis (“fifth day,” i.e., Thursday); yaum al-jumu`a (“gathering day,” i.e., Friday – this is the holy day, you may often hear references in the news to “Friday prayers”); yaum as-sabt (“Sabbath day,” i.e., Saturday, in Saudi Arabia is the first day of the workweek).
Practically speaking, those working in Saudi Arabia will notice a few differences:
• Dates may be cited in Gregorian, Islamic, or both formats in documents.
• Due to the “missing” 11 days, the Islamic calendar seems to “revolve” around the Gregorian one. To give one example, look at the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth in the Islamic calendar. It is during this month that healthy Muslims are expected to fast during daylight hours. In 1996, while I was in Saudi Arabia, Ramadan fell in February; in 2008, Ramadan fell in September.
• While it is simple (for astronomers!) to calculate the cycle of the astronomical moon to prepare the calendar in advance, technically speaking, each month starts when the lunar crescent is first seen (by a human observer) after a new moon. As a result, it is possible for months in the Islamic calendar to be a day longer. For example, in February 1996 while I was in Riyadh, Ramadan was extended one day, because the moon was not seen in Mecca, due to weather conditions. This being said, this extension of the calendar is for religious purposes (i.e., the fast continued another day), not secular purposes.
• The weekend is Thursday and Friday, with Friday being the holy day.
• People are typically paid on the first day of the Hejira month, rather than the first day of the Gregorian month.
However, if you refer to Gregorian dates, people will understand what you’re talking about.
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