It is worth doing a little research on Muslim Holidays when planing a trip to the Middle East since these special days can have an impact on your travel.

The common thing about muslim holidays is that they never fall on the same day of the year - in the sense of a "Gregorian" year.

As you might know, countries of the Middle East use two kind of calendars:

the Gregorian calendar, that is used worldwide, is a solar calendar, with 365-366 days in a year.

For example, the validity of your visa to Jordan may be 1 month according to the Gregorian calendar, and you will also have to use Gregorian dates when booking a hotel.

On the other hand, muslim holidays are celebrated according to the Islamic or Hijri calendar, which is a lunar calendar with 354-355 days in a year.

One lunar month lasts from new moon to the next new moon and the exact start of the month of Ramadan, for example, is based on the sight of the moon.

Most Important Muslim Holidays in 2012

• The Prophet's Birthday: 4th Febr 2012, public holiday.
  
  
• Ramadan: This is the name of the 9th month of the islamic calendar, the month of Fasting. In 2012 it is expected to be between 20th July and 19th August (+/- 1 day according to the actual sight of the moon).
  
  
• Eid Al Fitr: This is the first day of the 10th month, Shawwal and marks the end of Ramadan. In 2012 it is expected on the 19th August and usually followed by a cca. one-week public holiday.
  
  
• Hajj: The days of the pilgrimage to Mecca will be between 24th and 29th October 2012. These are not public holidays in Jordan but since the Hajj generates lots of passing traffic in Aqaba and the on the Nuweiba-Aqaba ferry, it is worth taking into consideration when planning your trip.
  
  
• Eid Al Adha: The Festival of Sacrifice will be held on 26th October in 2012. It is ususaly accompanied by a cca. one week school holiday so Aqaba gets very crowded during this period.
  
  
• Hijri New Year: 15th November 2012, public holiday.

Shall I come to Aqaba during Eid Al Fitr or Eid Al Adha?

Being Jordan's only seaside resort, Aqaba is usually jam-packed with local tourists (ie. people living in the North of the country) during Eid times which are also school holidays.

That means all the hotels are fully booked, rental apartments ditto, the public beaches are crowded and there are regular traffic jams in the downtown.

Goverment offices (ASEZA, for example), banks and the post office are closed for a couple of days, too.

Should you decide to come and share the joy of Eid with the Jordanians, be prepared for the above mentioned inconveniences and make your hotel reservation well in advance.

Related Posts, Websites

• Travel During Ramadan
• Public Holidays in Jordan