The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan will begin Saturday in Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest Muslim sites of Mecca and Medina, the kingdom announced on Friday.
“Tomorrow, Saturday, will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan,” Saudi news agency Spa reported, citing the country’s authorities.
The beginning of Ramadan, devoted to prayers and charity, is determined by the appearance of the first crescent moon, the Muslim calendar being lunar.
It will also start on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, other Gulf countries, but on Sunday in Oman.
While many Muslim countries traditionally follow the date given by Saudi religious authorities, some have used their own astronomical calculations in recent years.
During Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, believers are asked to abstain from drinking, eating, smoking and having sex, from dawn until sunset.
Muslims are invited to pay alms for the poor, the zakat el-Fitr.
Ramadan will end with Eid al-Fitr, the “feast of breaking the fast”.
