The Arabic names of the months of the Gregorian calendar are usually phonetic Arabic pronunciations of the corresponding month names used in European languages. An exception is the Syriac calendar used in Iraq and the Levant, whose month names are inherited via Classical Arabic from the Babylonian and Hebrew lunisolar calendars and correspond to roughly the same time of year.[1]

Though the lunar Hijri calendar and solar Hijri calendar are prominent in the Mideast, the Gregorian calendar is and has been used in nearly all the countries of the Arab world, in many places long before European occupation. All Arab states use the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes. The names of the Gregorian months as used in Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen are widely regarded as standard across the Arab world, although their Classical Arabic names are often used alongside them. In other Arab countries, some modification or actual changes in naming or pronunciation of months are observed.

Iraq and the Levant

These names are used primarily in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, as well as by Arab citizens of Israel. Classical Arabic inherited the names from the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars, which are lunisolar. Although the Arabic names are cognate, they do not refer to the lunar months, as when the names are used in their original Babylonian or Hebrew context (indeed, the names of the Gregorian months in Hebrew are based on the German names of the Gregorian months, rather than the months of the Babylonian and Hebrew Calendars.) Nine of these names were used in the Ottoman Turkish calendar, of which five remain in use in the modern Turkish calendar.

No.MonthArabic nameTransliterationSyriac cognateHebrew cognateTransliterationHebrew nameTransliterationGerman name
1Januaryكانُون الثانِيKānūn aṯ-Ṯānīܟܢܘܢ ܒטֵבֵתṬēḇēṯיָנוּאָרYānūʾārJanuar
2FebruaryشُباطŠubāṭܫܒܛשְׁבָטŠəḇāṭפֶבְּרוּאָרP̱ebrūʾārFebruar
3MarchآذارʾĀḏārܐܕܪאֲדָרʾĂḏārמֵרְץMērṣMärz
4AprilنَيْسانNaysānܢܝܣܢנִיסָן‎NīsānאַפְּרִילʾAprīlApril
5MayأَيّارʾAyyārܐܝܪאִיָּרʾĪyyārמַאיMáyMai
6JuneحَزِيرانḤazīrānܚܙܝܪܢסִיוָןSīwānיוּנִיYūnīJuni
7JulyتَمُّوزTammūzܬܡܘܙתַּמּוּזTammūzיוּלִיYūlīJuli
8AugustآبʾĀbܐܒאָבʾĀḇאוֹגוּסְטʾÔḡūsṭAugust
9SeptemberأَيْلُولʾAylūlܐܝܠܘܠאֱלוּלʾĔlūlסֶפְּטֶמְבֶּרSepṭemberSeptember
10Octoberتِشْرِين الْأَوَّلTišrīn al-ʾAwwalܬܫܪܝܢ ܐתִּשׁרִי‎TišrīאוֹקְטוֹבֶּרʾÔqṭôberOktober
11Novemberتِشْرِين الثانِيTišrīn aṯ-Ṯānīܬܫܪܝܢ ܒמַרְחֶשְׁוָןMarḥešwānנוׁבֶמְבֶּרNôḇemberNovember
12Decemberكانُون الْأَوَّلKānūn al-ʾAwwalܟܢܘܢ ܐכִּסְלֵוKislēwדֵּצֶמְבֶּרDēṣemberDezember

Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Eastern Arabia

The names of the Gregorian months in Egypt, Sudan and Eastern Arabia are based on the old Latin names.

No.MonthArabic nameTransliterationLatin nameEgyptian pronunciation
1JanuaryيَنايِرYanāyirIanuarius[jæ'næːjeɾ]
2FebruaryفِبْرايِرFibrāyirFebruarius[febˈɾɑːjeɾ]
3MarchمارِسMārs/MārisMartius[ˈmæːɾes]
4Aprilأَبْرِيل / إبْرِيلʾAbrīl / ʾIbrīlAprilis[ʔɪbˈɾiːl, ʔæb-]
5MayمايُوMāyūMaius[ˈmæːju]
6Juneيُونِيُو / يُونِيةYūniyū / YūnyahIunius[ˈjonjæ, -jo]
7Julyيُولِيُو / يُولِيةYūliyū / YūliyahIulius[ˈjoljæ, -ju]
8AugustأَغُسْطُسʾAğusṭusAugustus[ʔɑˈɣostˤos, ʔoˈ-]
9SeptemberسِبْتَمْبَرSibtambarSeptember[sebˈtæmbeɾ, -ˈtem-, -ˈtɑm-]
10OctoberأُكْتُوبَرʾUktūbarOctober[okˈtoːbɑɾ, ek-, ɑk-]
11Novemberنُوفَمْبَر / نُوَنْبِر‎Nūfambar / NuwambarNovember[noˈvæmbeɾ, -ˈvem-, -ˈfæm-,
-ˈfem-, -ˈvɑm-, -ˈfɑm-, -ˈwem-, -ˈwæm-, -ˈwɑm-]
12DecemberدِيسَمْبَرDīsambarDecember[deˈsæmbeɾ, -ˈsem-, -ˈsɑm-]

Libya (1969–2011)

The names of months used in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1977–2011) were derived from various sources, and were assembled after Muammar Gaddafi's seizure of power in 1969 and abolished in 2011 after the 17 February Revolution. The decision of changing calendar names was adopted in June 1986.[2] Although the Libyan calendar followed the same sequence of renamed Gregorian months, it counted the years from the death of the prophet Muhammad.[3] This reckoning was therefore ten years behind the Solar Hijri calendar used in Iran and Afghanistan.

No.MonthArabic nameTransliterationMeaning[4]
1Januaryأَيّ النارAyy an-Nārthat of the fires
2Februaryالنُوّارan-Nuwwārthe mornings
3Marchالرَبِيعar-Rabīʿthe spring
al-Mirrij was also used[5]
4Aprilالطَيْرaṭ-Ṭayrthe bird
5Mayالماءal-Māʾthe water
6Juneالصَيْفaṣ-Ṣayfthe summer
7JulyناصِرNāṣirfrom Gamal Abd el-Nasser
8AugustهانِيبالHānībālfrom Hannibal Barca
9Septemberالفاتِحal-Fātiḥthe lightened
10Octoberالتُمُور / الثُمُورat-Tumūr / aṯ-Ṯumūrthe dates
11Novemberالحَرْثal-Ḥarṯthe tillage
12Decemberالكانُونal-Kānūnthe canon

Algeria and Tunisia

The names of the Gregorian months in Algeria and Tunisia are based on the French names of the months, reflecting France's long colonisation of these countries (1830–1962 in Algeria; 1881–1956 in Tunisia).

No.MonthArabic nameTransliterationFrench name
1JanuaryجانْفِيJānvijanvier
2FebruaryفِيفْرِيFīvrifévrier
3MarchمارْسMārs / Mārismars
4AprilأفْرِيلʾAvrīlavril
5MayمايMēymai
6JuneجْوانJwānjuin
7JulyجْوِيلِْيةJwīlyajuillet
8AugustأُوتʾŪtaoût
9SeptemberسِبْتُمْبرSeptōmbrseptembre
10OctoberأُكْتُوبرʾOktōbroctobre
11NovemberنُوفُمْبرNovōmbrnovembre
12DecemberدِيسُمْبرDesōmbrdécembre

Morocco

As Morocco was long part of the Roman Empire, the long-standing agricultural Berber calendar of the country preserves the Julian calendar and (in modified form) the names of its months. There are regional variations of the Berber calendar, since some communities did not recognise the Julian 29 February in century years where the Gregorian calendar had no equivalent date. When Morocco adopted the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes, the names of the months were taken from this local tradition.

No.MonthArabic nameTransliteration
1JanuaryيَنّايِرYannāyir
2FebruaryفِبْرايِرFibrāyir
3MarchمارْسMārs
4AprilإبْرِيلʾIbrīl
5MayمايMāy
6JuneيُونِيُّوYūniyyū
7JulyيُولِيُّوزYūliyyūz
8AugustغُشْتĞušt
9SeptemberشُتَنْبِرŠutanbir
10OctoberأُكْتُوبِرʾUktūbir
11NovemberنُوَنْبِرNuwanbir
12DecemberدُجَنْبِرDujanbir

See also

References

  1. "The months of the Gregorian (Christian) calendar in various languages: Arabic". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
  2. "Libya Changes Names Of Months On Calendar - Sun Sentinel". Articles.sun-sentinel.com. Agence France-Presse. 23 June 1986. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  3. "ACM: Months". Library.princeton.edu. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  4. "Libyan Arab Jamahiriya - الموقع غير الرسمى للقنصلية الليبية بالاسكندرية". Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  5. "Tratamiento del árabe". Conf-dts1.unog.ch. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
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