Public sector employees across the UAE will have a day off to mark the Prophet Mohammed's birthday. Rajesh Korde / The National
Public sector employees across the UAE will have a day off to mark the Prophet Mohammed's birthday. Rajesh Korde / The National
Public sector employees across the UAE will have a day off to mark the Prophet Mohammed's birthday. Rajesh Korde / The National
Public sector employees across the UAE will have a day off to mark the Prophet Mohammed's birthday. Rajesh Korde / The National

UAE public sector holiday announced for the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday


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Public sector employees in the UAE will have a holiday on Friday, September 29, to mark the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.

The Federal Authority of Human Resources announced the news in a memo to all ministries and government agencies, state news agency Wam reported.

”Based on the decision of the Council of Ministers regarding the approved official holiday agenda for the government and private sectors in the country for the year 2023, it has been decided that the Prophet’s Birthday holiday will be on Friday, September 29, 2023," the memo said.

The holiday is marked by observance rather than celebration, with festivities kept to a minimum.

The public and private sectors in the Emirates typically have the same holidays.

While some of the longest breaks have already taken place this year, people can still enjoy some time off and long weekends, including to mark the Prophet Mohammed's birthday and National Day.

In November last year, the UAE Cabinet confirmed the dates of the country's holidays for public and private sector staff.

The government announced in 2019 that private sector employees would have the same number of holidays as government staff.

At the time, the government said the move aimed to achieve balance between the two sectors and support the national economy. Previously, public sector employees had more days off than those who worked for private companies.

Remaining holidays for 2023

September 29: the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday

December 2 and 3: UAE National Day

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Updated: September 19, 2023, 3:11 AM`