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Comparing calendars
Islamic vs Persian
Both count their years from the Hijra of 622 CE, yet they now disagree by more than forty: the Islamic year is lunar and the Persian solar, so the shorter lunar years have run far ahead of the solar ones.
| Attribute | Islamic | Persian |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Lunar | Solar |
| Origin | Islamic tradition | Iranian tradition; reformed in 1925 on ancient roots |
| Year | 12 lunar months (about 354 days) | 365 or 366 days, beginning at the spring equinox (Nowruz) |
| Months | 12, of 29 or 30 days | 12 — six of 31 days, five of 30, and one of 29 or 30 |
| Week | 7 days | 7 days |
| Leap rule | None — so it falls about 11 days earlier against the seasons each year | Set by the true equinox — among the most accurate rules in use |
| Counts years from | The Hijra, 622 CE (AH) | The Hijra, 622 CE, but counted in solar years (SH) |
| Where it’s used | Islamic religious life worldwide; civil use in several countries | The official calendar of Iran |
See this moment on each: Islamic (Hijri) calendar · Persian (Solar Hijri) calendar. Or convert a specific date into both.