18.02.2026 10:30
The beginning of the month of Ramadan in the Islamic world is being observed on different dates this year as well. Saudi Arabia announced that the crescent moon was sighted and declared Wednesday, February 18, as the first day of fasting. Turkey and Iran, on the other hand, announced that Ramadan would begin on Thursday, February 19. In Turkey, Muslims will wake up for the first pre-dawn meal tonight and will observe their first fast on Thursday, February 19.
Many countries conducted crescent observation studies to determine the beginning of the month of Ramadan. As a result of the evaluations, some countries accepted Wednesday as the first day of Ramadan, while others accepted Thursday.
SAUDI ARABIA: CRESCENT SIGHTED, FIRST DAY WEDNESDAY
Saudi Arabian officials reported that the Ramadan crescent was sighted in the Tamir region. Following this determination, the Saudi Arabian Supreme Court officially announced that February 18, 2026, Wednesday, is the first day of Ramadan.
Along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Palestine, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Lebanon also announced that they would start fasting on Wednesday.
TURKEY: FIRST FAST THURSDAY
The Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs determined the beginning of Ramadan as Thursday, February 19. Accordingly, Muslims in Turkey will wake up for the first pre-dawn meal on the night of February 18-19, and the first fast will be observed on Thursday, February 19.
A similar statement was made in Iran. The office of Iran's Religious Leader Ali Khamenei stated that the crescent would not be visible on Wednesday according to scientific data, announcing that Ramadan would begin on Thursday.
In addition to Turkey and Iran, Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Japan, and Brunei also accepted Thursday as the first day of Ramadan.
DIRECTORATE: CRESCENT WILL BE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN
The High Board of Religious Affairs determined that the Ramadan crescent for the year 2026 (1447) will first become visible from the Pacific Ocean region on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. The board reported that the crescent would be visible at 06:42 Turkish time. Based on this assessment, it announced that Thursday, February 19, 2026, is the first day of Ramadan.
WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENCES?
The month of Ramadan is determined according to the lunar calendar. In the lunar calendar, the beginning of the months is determined based on the movements of the moon. Therefore, the date of Ramadan changes every year according to the Gregorian calendar.
In Islamic law, there are two different approaches to determining the beginning of the new moon. Some countries base it on the naked-eye sighting of the crescent, while others rely on astronomical calculations. This methodological difference sometimes leads to discrepancies in the starting day of Ramadan.