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al-taqwīm al-shamsī
Solar calendar
Al-taqwīm al-shamsī (التقويم الشمسي) refers to the solar calendar, a timekeeping system based on the Earth's orbital position around the sun. This calendar system divides the year into 365 or 366 days and is the most widely used calendar system internationally, including the Gregorian calendar. It contrasts with lunar and lunisolar calendar systems traditionally used in Islamic and other contexts.
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يعتمد التقويم الشمسي على حركة الأرض حول الشمس.
Ya'tamid al-taqwīm al-shamsī 'alā harakat al-'ard hawla al-shams.
The solar calendar is based on the Earth's movement around the sun.
نستخدم التقويم الشمسي في معظم الأعمال التجارية والإدارية.
Nastakhdam al-taqwīm al-shamsī fī mu'zam al-a'māl al-tijāriyya wa-al-'idāriyya.
We use the solar calendar in most commercial and administrative work.
يحتوي التقويم الشمسي على اثني عشر شهراً.
Yahtawī al-taqwīm al-shamsī 'alā ithnay 'ashar shahran.
The solar calendar contains twelve months.
التقويم الشمسي يختلف عن التقويم القمري بحوالي أحد عشر يوماً كل سنة.
Al-taqwīm al-shamsī yakhtalif 'an al-taqwīm al-qamari bi-hawali ahad 'ashar yawman kull sanah.
The solar calendar differs from the lunar calendar by approximately eleven days each year.
في الدول العربية، يُستخدم التقويم الشمسي جنباً إلى جنب مع التقويم الهجري.
Fī al-duwal al-'arabiyya, yustaKhdam al-taqwīm al-shamsī janbaan ilā janb ma'a al-taqwīm al-hijrī.
In Arab countries, the solar calendar is used alongside the Islamic (Hijri) calendar.
The solar calendar is deeply integrated into modern Arab life, despite the Islamic calendar's religious and cultural significance. While the Hijri calendar governs Islamic religious observances such as Ramadan and the Hajj pilgrimage, Arab governments and businesses rely on the solar calendar for administration, commerce, and daily planning. This dual-calendar system reflects the balance between Islamic traditions and modern international standards in contemporary Arab societies.
When discussing calendar systems in Arabic, remember that 'taqwīm' (تقويم) is the general word for calendar, while 'al-taqwīm al-shamsī' specifically designates the solar calendar. Use this term when contrasting with the lunar (قمري) or Islamic (هجري) calendars. In formal contexts, you may also encounter 'al-taqwīm al-gregorī' (التقويم الغريغوري) for the Gregorian calendar, which is often used interchangeably with the solar calendar.
التقويم الشمسي (al-taqwīm al-shamsī) literally translates to "solar calendar" in English. The term is composed of two Arabic words: "تقويم" (taqwīm), meaning calendar, and "شمسي" (shamsī), meaning solar or sun-related. The solar calendar is a timekeeping system that is based on the Earth's complete revolution around the sun, which takes approximately 365.25 days. This calendar system divides the year into twelve months with varying numbers of days, totaling 365 days in regular years and 366 days in leap years.
The solar calendar most commonly used worldwide is the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 as a reformation of the Julian calendar. It is the standard calendar used for civil purposes across the globe and is often referred to in Arabic as التقويم الغريغوري (al-taqwīm al-gregorī). The Gregorian solar calendar is based on the tropical year, which is the time it takes Earth to complete one full orbit around the sun.
While the Islamic calendar (التقويم الهجري - al-taqwīm al-hijrī) is religiously significant and governs Islamic practices such as Ramadan fasting and the Hajj pilgrimage, the solar calendar is predominantly used in governmental, commercial, and administrative contexts throughout the Arab world. Most Arab countries maintain a dual-calendar system where both calendars coexist: the Hijri calendar for religious matters and the solar calendar for official and business purposes.
The solar calendar differs significantly from the lunar calendar (التقويم القمري - al-taqwīm al-qamarī), which is based on the moon's phases and is approximately 11 days shorter than the solar year. This difference means that lunar months gradually shift backward through the seasons over time. Some cultures use lunisolar calendars (التقويم القمري الشمسي - al-taqwīm al-qamarī al-shamsī), which attempt to reconcile both solar and lunar measurements.
The solar calendar divides the year into twelve months. In the Gregorian solar calendar, these months are: January (يناير), February (فبراير), March (مارس), April (أبريل), May (مايو), June (يونيو), July (يوليو), August (أغسطس), September (سبتمبر), October (أكتوبر), November (نوفمبر), and December (ديسمبر). The months contain either 28, 29, 30, or 31 days. Leap years, which occur every four years (with some exceptions for century years), add an extra day in February to maintain alignment with the Earth's orbital position.
In daily Arab life, the solar calendar is used for: business transactions and contracts, governmental administrative procedures, educational calendars and academic schedules, international communication and coordination, and official public holidays. Banks, schools, government offices, and international organizations in Arab countries all operate according to the solar calendar.
Despite the prevalence of the solar calendar, the Islamic Hijri calendar holds deep cultural and religious significance in Arab and Muslim societies. The Hijri calendar marks important Islamic events and holidays such as Eid al-Fitr (عيد الفطر), Eid al-Adha (عيد الأضحى), and Muharram (محرم). Many Arabs are familiar with both calendar systems and understand the significance of each in their respective contexts.
When studying Arabic calendar terminology, it is important to learn not only the term التقويم الشمسي but also related vocabulary such as: سنة (sanah) for year, شهر (shahr) for month, يوم (yawm) for day, and أسبوع ('usbū') for week. Understanding these foundational terms will help you discuss dates, plan events, and navigate scheduling in Arabic-speaking contexts.
You will frequently encounter phrases such as "وفقاً للتقويم الشمسي" (wifqan li-al-taqwīm al-shamsī, meaning "according to the solar calendar") and "بموجب التقويم الشمسي" (bi-mujib al-taqwīm al-shamsī, meaning "under the solar calendar"). These phrases are commonly used in official documents, announcements, and formal communications.