Spotlight: Why Are the Arabic Calendar Months Named the Way They Are?

Library > Community Presentations

Presenter: Yasmeen Shahzadeh

Delivered: Amman on July 28, 2024

In this afikra spotlight, Yasmeen Shahzadeh explores the origins of the Arabic calendar month names and their historical significance. The talk traces their roots back to ancient civilizations such as the Assyrians, Hebrews, Babylonians, and Sumerians.

Sources & Future References

• Hijri-Gregorian Perpetual Calendar

• The Caliph who Invented the Islamic Calendar | About Islam

• Standard Babylonian (Nippur-Babylonian) Calendar

• Aramaic language and alphabet - Omniglot

• Akkadian cuneiform script and Akkadian language - Omniglot

• Mesopotamian religion - Gods, Rituals, Beliefs | Britannica

• How Islamic scholarship birthed modern astronomy

• Babylonian calendar Archives - Living With The Moon

• Glances on Calendars and Almanacs in the Islamic Civilisation - Muslim HeritageMuslim Heritage

• Babylonian Astronomy and Calendar - Edge Of Space

Note: All community presentations are prepared & presented by non-experts on the subject. They are sharing information in the hopes of spurring interest in that subject.

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About afikra Community Presentations

Delivered and prepared by afikra community members, the presentation's goal is to showcase the presenter’s curiosity and research, and share some knowledge on a ‎topic related to the Arab world’s histories and cultures. The presentation is the ‎culmination of the afikra coaching process to help identify a topic, research it, and develop the ‎presentation.

afikra presentations come in three forms: a long question-driven afikra Feature explaining why or how something happened or is happening, a medium-sized afikra Spotlight exploring who someone or what something is, and a short afikra FWD which purpose is to share something interesting.