Abu Dhabi, June 16 -- Private sector employees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be granted a public holiday on Friday, June 27, to mark the start of the new Islamic year 1447 AH.

This was announced in a circular issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) on Monday, June 16.

This follows an earlier announcement by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) confirming thesame holiday for the public sector.

The Islamic New Year, also known as Hijri New Year, marks the start of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.

The calendar has been observed for more than 1,440 years and is used to date important Islamic events including the start of Ramzan, Eid-Al-Fitr, and the beginning of...