Arabic names of Gregorian months

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 Mesopotamia and the Levant, which is inherited from Classical Arabic 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 of some of them. 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.

Levant and Mesopotamia

These names are used primarily in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. They are inherited from Classical Arabic and ultimately derived from the Syriac names of the Assyrian calendar. These names are cognate with some of the names 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 name
1Januaryكَانُون ٱلثَّانِيKānūn ath-Thānīܟܢܘܢ ܒ
2FebruaryشُبَاطShubāṭܫܒܛ
3MarchآذَارʾĀḏārܐܕܪ
4AprilنَيْسَانNaysānܢܝܣܢ
5MayأَيَّارʾAyyārܐܝܪ
6JuneحَزِيرَانḤazīrānܚܙܝܪܢ
7JulyتَمُّوزTammūzܬܡܘܙ
8AugustآبʾĀbܐܒ
9SeptemberأَيْلُولʾAylūlܐܝܠܘܠ
10Octoberتِشْرِين ٱلْأَوَّلTishrīn al-ʾAwwalܬܫܪܝܢ ܐ
11Novemberتِشْرِين ٱلثَّانِيTishrīn ath-Thānīܬܫܪܝܢ ܒ
12Decemberكَانُون ٱلْأَوَّلKānūn al-ʾAwwalܟܢܘܢ ܐ

Egypt, Sudan, Arab Countries in the Arabic Gulf

The names of the Gregorian months in Egypt, Sudan and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf are based on the old Latin names.

No.MonthArabic nameTransliterationLatin nameEgyptian pronunciation
1JanuaryينايرYanāyirIanuarius[jæ'næːjeɾ]
2FebruaryفبرايرFibrāyirFebruarius[febˈɾɑːjeɾ]
3MarchمارسMārsMartius[ˈmæːɾes]
4Aprilأبريل / إبريلʾAbrīl / ʾIbrīlAprilis[ʔɪbˈɾiːl, ʔæb-]
5MayمايوMāyūMaius[ˈmæːju]
6Juneيونيو / يونيةYūnyū / YūnyahIunius[ˈjonjæ, -jo]
7Julyيوليو / يوليةYūlyū / YūlyahIulius[ˈjoljæ, -ju]
8AugustأغسطسʾAghusṭusAugustus[ʔɑˈɣostˤos, ʔoˈ-]
9SeptemberسبتمبرSibtambarSeptember[sebˈtæmbeɾ, -ˈtem-, -ˈtɑm-]
10OctoberأكتوبرʾUktūbarOctober[okˈtoːbɑɾ, ek-, ɑk-]
11NovemberنوفمبرNūfambarNovember[noˈvæmbeɾ, -ˈvem-, -ˈfæm-,
-ˈfem-, -ˈvɑm-, -ˈfɑm-]
12DecemberديسمبرDīsambarDecember[deˈsæmbeɾ, -ˈsem-, -ˈsɑm-]

Gaddafi's 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]
1Januaryأي النارAyy an-Nārthat of the fires
2Februaryالنوارan-Nuwwārthe mornings
3Marchالربيعar-Rabīʿthe spring
al-Mirrij was also used[5]
4Aprilالطيرaṭ-Ṭayrthe bird
5Mayالماءal-Māʾthe water
6Juneالصيفaṣ-Ṣayfthe summer
7JulyناصرNāṣirfrom Gamal Abd el-Nasser
8AugustهانيبالHānībālfrom Hannibal Barca
9Septemberالفاتحal-Fātiḥthe lightened
10Octoberالتمور / الثمورat-Tumūr / ath-Thumūrthe dates
11Novemberالحرثal-Ḥarththe tillage
12Decemberالكانونal-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
1JanuaryجانفيJānvīJanvier
2FebruaryفيفريFīvrīFévrier
3MarchمارسMārs / MārisMars
4AprilأفريلAvrīlAvril
5MayمايMāyMai
6JuneجوانJuwānJuin
7JulyجويليةJuwīliyyaJuillet
8AugustأوتŪtAoût
9SeptemberسبتمبرSibtambirSeptembre
10OctoberأكتوبرUktūbirOctobre
11NovemberنوفمبرNūvambirNovembre
12DecemberديسمبرDīsambirDécembre

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
1JanuaryيَنايِرYannāyir
2FebruaryفِبرايِرFibrāyir
3MarchمارسMārs
4AprilأبريلʾIbrīl
5MayمايMāy
6JuneيونيّوYūniyū
7JulyيوليّوزYūliyūz
8AugustغُشتGhusht
9SeptemberشُتَنبِرShutanbir
10OctoberأُكتوبِرʾUktūbir
11NovemberنُوَنبِرNuwanbir
12DecemberدُجَنبِرDujanbir

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". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  5. "Tratamiento del árabe". Conf-dts1.unog.ch. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
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