Ramadan to begin as moon sighted in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is set to usher in Ramadan’s month-long fasting on Monday after an official sighting of the new crescent moon in Hawtat Sudair.

The sighting by astronomers from the Majmaah University Astronomy Observatory Department in Riyadh signalled the start of the holy month for most of the almost 2 billion Muslims across the globe.

This event was led by Saudi astronomer Abdullah Al-Khudairi, director of the Astronomy Observatory in Sudair.

The Saudi Supreme Court announced that Monday, March 11, will be the first day of Ramadan.

Joining Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have also confirmed that Ramadan will begin on Monday, with Oman, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Brunei and Iran to follow a day later.

The determination of the starting date relies on both lunar calculations and physical sightings of the new moon, a practice steeped in Islamic tradition.