About Mike Kramer Expertise The country, its culture, people, customs, accommodations, climate, weather, touring the interior, wadi bashing, health, safety, etc. With wife, prepared the American Women`s Group "An Introductory Guide to Life in the Sultanate of Oman" which is sold in bookstores there. Currently lives in the Hill Country of Texas, but lived in the Muscat Municipality
and worked for Petroleum Development Oman 1992 - 1995 and in the Netherlands 1995 - 1998. Travelled extensively in the interior regions of Oman, visiting such places as the Lost City of Ubar, the Wahiba Sands, the Tombs at Omk, the green sea turtle nesting area at Ras al Hadd, and the Dhofar region. See www.mjgkramer.com for travel photos.
Dates for upcoming Islamic holidays and observances
Islamic Holidays in the Year of the Hegira A,H, 1421
Muharram (Islamic New Year) April 6, 2000
Mawlid Al Nabi (Muhammed's birthday) June 15, 2000
Ramadan begins (Holy month) November 28, 2000
Eid al Fitr (Ramadan ends) December 27, 2000
Eid al Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) March 6, 2001
Also given are the holidays for the following year.
The Islamic year is based on the lunar cycle, consisting of twelve months of 29 or 30 days each, totaling 353 or 354 days. Each new month begins at the sighting of a new moon. Actual dates may differ by a day or two from the above dates. In many places, the moon-sighting is often determined in advance by astronomical calculations.
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You asked this under the Oman section so I assume that is where you are going. There are a number of other public holidays that can impact your business trip. One is the National Day celebration, which is a whole week in November. The exact week is announced just before the holiday so it is difficult to predict when it would be. When we lived there (1992 - 1995) there was an impromptu 4 day holiday when Sultan Qaboos' mother died. Suddenly it was announced that all businesses, including grocery stores would close those days. If your pantry was bare it was pretty serious. The last year we were there we enjoyed a total of 18 public holidays.
Another thing that may impact your business trip is that the work week is from Sunday through Wednesday, i.e. the weekend is Thursday and Friday. Also, most businesses and the government offices close from 1 PM until 5:00 PM or so and then are open again from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM. The main exception to this is the major private employer in the country, Petroleum Development Oman (where I worked).
Oman is a fantastic place to visit, very interesting scenery and tremendous people. It is a liberal Islamic country, but you must abide by the rules and customs. I won't get into them here, but if you are interested let me know. A good source of information before you go is the book "An Introductory Guide to Life in the Sultanate of Oman" published by the American Women's Group and available from the Family Book Store in Qu'urum and Al Khuwair. The current book was edited and largely written by my wife. I took the pictures and drew the location maps. Cost is abour $5 and it is a wealth of good information. Possibly your contact there can get a copy for you.
Feel free to contact me if you need more information, especially on things to do and see, places to eat, places to stay, and the customs of the people. The best place to stay in Oman is the Al Bustan Palace Hotel near the old city of Muscat. I have posted a lot of pictures of Oman on my personal web page www.mjgkramer.com.
