What is the Hijri (Islamic) calendar and how does it affect my trip?

The Hijri calendar is the Islamic lunar calendar, counted from the year of the Prophet's migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina. Morocco runs it in parallel with the everyday Gregorian calendar — shops and offices use Gregorian dates, but every religious observance is fixed to the Hijri one. Understanding this is the single most useful piece of timekeeping knowledge for planning a trip here.

The key thing to grasp is that a lunar year is roughly 11 days shorter than a solar one. That means Ramadan, the two Eids and other holy dates do not sit on fixed Gregorian dates — they slide about 11 days earlier each year. Ramadan in your grandmother's memory of summer will, a decade or so on, fall in spring. I always check the current Hijri dates before locking in a guest's travel window.

Why it matters practically: during Ramadan many restaurants change their hours, the rhythm of the day shifts dramatically, and around Eid al-Adha transport and accommodation book up as Moroccans travel to family. None of this need spoil a trip — Ramadan can be a beautiful, atmospheric time to visit — but you want to arrive knowing it, not discovering it.

Because the new month traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon, the exact start of Ramadan or Eid is sometimes announced only a day in advance. I find this charms travellers once they understand it — it is a calendar tied to the sky rather than a printed table. When I plan around these dates I build in a little flexibility, and I always tell guests why.