Convert any date between the Gregorian calendar and the Hijri calendar in its Umm al-Qura form, the official calendar of Saudi Arabia. The calculation uses your browser's built-in Umm al-Qura calendar data, so nothing is sent anywhere.
The Hijri year has 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days, about 354 days in total, so Hijri dates move about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. For example, 1 Muharram 1447 AH was Thursday 26 June 2025 in the Umm al-Qura calendar.
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Results are rounded and depend on the values you enter. Double-check anything important.
How to use the Hijri to Gregorian Date converter
- Choose the direction: Gregorian to Hijri or Hijri to Gregorian.
- Pick the Gregorian date, or enter the Hijri day, month and year.
- Press Calculate. The result also shows whether the Hijri month has 29 or 30 days.
The formula
Unlike a purely arithmetic Hijri calendar, Umm al-Qura month starts come from astronomical criteria calculated for Makkah, so they need tables. The converter estimates the day count, then checks nearby days against the browser's Umm al-Qura data until the exact match is found.
Worked example
To convert 1 Muharram 1447 AH: about 1,446 × 354.37 days after the Hijri epoch lands within a day or so of late June 2025, and the Umm al-Qura check finds the exact match, Thursday 26 June 2025.
Why Saudi Arabia uses two calendars
Daily life in Saudi Arabia runs on two calendars at once. The Hijri calendar, counted from the Prophet's migration to Madinah in 622 CE, is lunar: its 12 months are 29 or 30 days long and the year has about 354 days. The Umm al-Qura version used by the Saudi government fixes the start of each month in advance from astronomical criteria calculated for Makkah, which makes it possible to print calendars, set deadlines and date official documents years ahead. The Gregorian calendar is solar, with 365 or 366 days, and is used for international business, flights and most school timetables.
A notable change came in 2016, when the government announced that state employees' salaries would be paid according to the Gregorian calendar instead of Hijri months, in line with the Gregorian-based fiscal year. Many documents, such as older iqamas, contracts and court papers, still carry Hijri dates, which is why a reliable converter is useful.
Worked examples
Today in both calendars
Saturday 24 October 2026 is 13 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH in the Umm al-Qura calendar. The Islamic new year 1448 (1 Muharram) fell on 16 June 2026.
Planning around Ramadan
In the Umm al-Qura calendar, 1 Ramadan 1448 AH is Monday 8 February 2027 and 1 Shawwal 1448 (Eid al-Fitr) is Tuesday 9 March 2027. These are calendar dates. The religious start of Ramadan and the Eid are confirmed by the Supreme Court after the moon is sighted, so the actual day can differ from the printed calendar by one day.
If you are planning time off around these dates, our Saudi public holidays 2027 guide sets out how many days each sector gets for both Eids, Founding Day and National Day.
A contract written in Hijri dates
A rental contract signed on 1 Muharram 1448 for one Hijri year ends on 1 Muharram 1449, which in the Umm al-Qura calendar is about 354 days later (early June 2027), not on the same Gregorian date in 2027. If rent is SAR 36,000 per Hijri year, the daily equivalent is about 36,000 ÷ 354 = SAR 101.69, slightly more than the same rent spread over 365 days (SAR 98.63). It matters to know which calendar a contract uses before comparing prices.
Things that commonly cause off-by-one errors
- Different Hijri systems. Some websites use a purely arithmetic (tabular) Hijri calendar. It can disagree with Umm al-Qura by a day or two. For Saudi documents, Umm al-Qura is the one to use.
- Time of day. In Islamic tradition the new day begins at sunset, while civil calendars change at midnight. Official dates follow the civil (midnight) convention, as this converter does.
- Moon sighting. Ramadan, Eid and Dhu al-Hijjah dates announced after sighting can move one day from the calendar.
- Ages and deadlines. Someone who is 18 in Hijri years has lived roughly 17.5 Gregorian years. Check which calendar a legal age or deadline uses.
How the conversion works
The converter relies on the Umm al-Qura data that ships inside modern browsers (the ICU library behind the Intl date functions). It first estimates the date from the average month length, then checks the days around the estimate until it finds the exact match. Nothing is sent to a server, so it works offline once the page has loaded. The supported range, Hijri years 1356 to 1500, covers every date most people need, from old documents to long-term plans.
Also useful: count working time with the end of service calculator, set a zakat date with the zakat calculator, and convert match times with the kickoff time converter.
Hijri months in order
The twelve months of the Hijri year are Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Thani, Jumada al-Ula, Jumada al-Akhirah, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu al-Qadah and Dhu al-Hijjah. Each has 29 or 30 days. Muharram, Rajab, Dhu al-Qadah and Dhu al-Hijjah are the four sacred months. Ramadan is the month of fasting, Shawwal begins with Eid al-Fitr, and Dhu al-Hijjah is the month of Hajj, with Eid al-Adha on the 10th.
Practical uses
- Government paperwork. Older Saudi documents often show only a Hijri date. Convert it before you enter it in a form that asks for a Gregorian date, and keep the original as written.
- Travel and leave. Ramadan and the two Eids move about 11 days earlier every Gregorian year. Look up the expected dates before you book flights or request annual leave, and allow a day either side for the moon sighting.
- Anniversaries and zakat dates. If you mark an event by its Hijri date, the converter tells you which Gregorian day it falls on this year.
- Age checks. Convert a Hijri date of birth to Gregorian before comparing it with an age limit set in Gregorian years.
Tip: when you copy a converted date into an official form, write the calendar next to it (for example "13/05/1448 AH" or "24/10/2026 CE"). Day and month numbers alone are easy to misread, and the same digits can mean very different days in the two calendars.
FAQ
Is this the official Saudi calendar?
Umm al-Qura is the calendar used by the Saudi government for civil purposes. Ramadan and Eid dates are announced after moon sighting and can differ by a day.
Why can the same Hijri date fall in different seasons?
The Hijri year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, so each date moves through all the seasons over roughly 33 years.
What date range is supported?
Hijri years 1356 to 1500 (about 1937 to 2077), where browsers ship Umm al-Qura data.
When is Ramadan 1448 in the Umm al-Qura calendar?
1 Ramadan 1448 AH is 8 February 2027 in the Umm al-Qura calendar. The actual start is confirmed after the moon sighting and can differ by a day.
Are Saudi government salaries paid by Hijri or Gregorian months?
Gregorian. Since 2016, state salaries have been paid according to the Gregorian calendar, in line with the Gregorian-based fiscal year.
Sources
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