Muslims in Egypt celebrated on Saturday the beginning of the Islamic New Year 1441, which is also known as Hijri New Year or Arabic New Year.
The Islamic calendar started after the emigration of Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra.
The first day of the Islamic year is observed on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar.
With the Hijri lunar calendar being 11-12 days shorter than the Western calendar, Muharram falls on a different date every year.
The following dates on the Gregorian calendar correspond to the Islamic new year:
Islamic year | Gregorian date |
1438 AH | 2 October 2016 |
1439 AH | 21 September 2017 |
1440 AH | 11 September 2018 |
1441 AH | 1 September 2019 |
1442 AH | 20 August 2020 |