The Muslim Sufi sects of Egypt celebrated the Islamic new year of 1441 in the ancient part of Cairo by the Al-Azhar and Al-Hussain Mosques, Aug. 31, 2019. The Islamic calendar started after the Prophet Mohamed migrated from Mecca to Madina. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar in which any month’s beginning or end is determined by sighting the moon and is only 354 days. The Islamic lunar calendar is used to set the dates for religious events like Ramadan, Eid El-Fitr, and Eid Al-Adha.
Muslims in Cairo celebrate the Islamic New Year 1441
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Sufi Muslims celebrate the Islamic new year by the shrine of “Al-Hussain Bin-Ali,” the grandson of the Prophet Mohamed. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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Major mosques like Al-Azhar display green lights as part of the celebrations of the Islamic new year. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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Representatives of the presidency, military generals, parliament members, and government ministers attended the official celebration. Authorities banned public celebrations this year because of the unclear security situation. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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Religion minister Mokhtar Gomaa gave a sermon about the migration of the Prophet Mohamed from Mecca, where he grew up, to Madina with his followers as refugees and the morals behind the story. (H. Elrasam/VOA)