ISTANBUL, February 17, 2026: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have officially announced that the holy month of Ramadan will commence on Wednesday following the sighting of the crescent moon on Tuesday evening.
According to a statement issued by the Saudi Royal Court, the new moon marking the beginning of Ramadan was observed, confirming that fasting will begin on Wednesday across the Kingdom.
Qatar’s Moon Sighting Committee also confirmed the start of the sacred month after verifying the crescent sighting. A similar declaration was released by the UAE Presidential Court, aligning the three Gulf states on the first day of fasting.
Meanwhile, Muslims in Türkiye, Oman, Singapore and Australia will observe the first fast on Thursday. Authorities in these countries based their decision on astronomical calculations confirming the start of the lunar month.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is observed by Muslims worldwide as a period of fasting, prayer and spiritual reflection.
While several nations continue to rely on traditional moon sighting committees to determine the beginning of Ramadan, others increasingly adopt astronomical data, especially in cases where scientific calculations indicate that visual sighting may not be possible.
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