Hijri era

The Hijri era is a year-numbering system that counts from the Hijra, Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. Its traditional calendar is lunar, so its years do not align with Gregorian years.

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Islamic calendar: A calendar used in Muslim communities, traditionally based on twelve lunar months. Its lunar months determine how Hijri-era dates are counted.
Hijra: Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which marks the beginning of the Islamic era. This migration supplies the era’s epoch and name.
Ramadan: The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims as a month of fasting. Its observance begins and ends according to Hijri month dates.
Anno Hegirae: A Latin dating designation meaning “in the year of the Hijra,” used with Islamic year numbers. It is a conventional label for dates counted in this era.
Hijri year: A year in the Islamic calendar, consisting of twelve lunar months. It is the basic unit numbered from the Hijra.
Medina: A city in western Arabia that became the center of Muhammad’s community after the Hijra. The destination of the migration defines the event from which years are reckoned.
Hajj: The annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, performed during Dhu al-Hijjah. Its prescribed timing is fixed by the Hijri calendar.
Islamic year numbering: The assignment of year numbers beginning from the Hijra in 622 CE. It expresses the era’s central chronological convention.
Lunar month: A period based on the Moon’s cycle of phases, averaging about 29.5 days. Hijri months follow lunar cycles, making the year shorter than a solar year.
Umar: The second caliph, who ruled the early Muslim community from 634 to 644 CE. Tradition credits his reign with instituting the Hijri era for official dating.