Arabic calendars are usually versions of the Gregorian.
When scheduling appointments or calls with clients in the Middle East, it's important to be on the same calendar page. Most Arabic-speaking countries use the Gregorian calendar, but the names of the months might be slightly different from what you are used to seeing. In some countries, the names are an approximation of the English or French names. In the Levant, they have unique Aramaic names. You may also encounter dates given from the Hijri, or Islamic calendar. Knowing convert the dates will improve communications for business or social events.
Instructions
1. Look up the name of the month in your Arabic dictionary. The name, if listed, will include the order of the month in the year.
2. If the name of the month indicates a month in the Hijri calendar, check the Hijri calendar for the current year for the corresponding date. If Gregorian dates are not included on your Hijri calendar, use an online date converter to calculate the corresponding Gregorian date.
3. If the name of the month is not in the Arabic dictionary or on the Hijri calendar, it may be an Arabic approximation of the English or French name. Sound out the month name for similarities to English names. If you cannot find an approximation to English, check the name against the French month names. The French names will also include the order of the month in the year. Select the closest match.
4. Write down the order of the Arabic month for the date in question---e.g. fourth, seventh. Write down the English name for the month corresponding to that order--e.g. April for fourth, July for seventh. Insert the date and year from the original date you were given. This is your corresponding English Gregorian date.
