Muslim holiday
Islamic New Year 1449
A quiet holiday around 6 June 2027, and a good moment for routes through the Islamic past of Spain, Jordan and the Galilee.
6 June 2027
Expected dates. Islamic months begin with the sighting of the new crescent moon, so each date can move by a day and may differ between countries. Confirm locally closer to the time.
Why people travel then
The Islamic year begins on 1 Muharram and counts from the Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622. For most Muslims it is a quiet day of reflection rather than a festival, and it moves about eleven days earlier every year.
It is not a reason to travel by itself, but the day off and early June weather make it a good moment to walk the places where Islamic history is written in stone: Córdoba and Granada, Akko and the Nimrod Fortress, Petra’s Bedouin country.
What you will see on the routes
- Granada on Foot: the Alhambra, the Albaicín and Sacromonte
The Alhambra was the last Nasrid palace of al-Andalus. Early June is busy, so book Nasrid Palace tickets weeks ahead and walk the Albaicín in the evening.
- Córdoba: The Mezquita, the River and the Judería
Córdoba was the capital of the Umayyad caliphate of al-Andalus. In June the patios are still in flower and midday is hot: see the Mezquita at opening time.
- Nimrod Fortress: A Muslim Stronghold on the Slopes of Hermon
Built by the Ayyubids and expanded by the Mamluk sultan Baybars, Nimrod is one of the largest medieval Muslim castles in the region, and June on the slopes of Mount Hermon is still mild.
- Mount Toubkal — North Africa's Highest Summit
June is in season on Toubkal: the snow is mostly gone and the refuge is open. The holiday is quiet in the Atlas villages.
How it changes travel
- A public holiday in Jordan, Morocco, Egypt and the Gulf states: government offices and banks close for the day; shops and tourist sites mostly stay open.
- Ashura, ten days later, is a solemn day of mourning for Shia Muslims, with large processions in some cities; in Morocco it is also a children’s festival.
Travel window: 5 to 15 June 2027. A one-day public holiday in many Muslim-majority countries; Ashura follows ten days later.
Offers
The Islamic New Year is not a package-holiday season, and on 11 October 2026 we found no offers tied to it. The routes below are a good place to start.
Browse the routes for this holidayRoutes in this guide
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Photo: Jebulon · CC0City walk SpainGranada on Foot: the Alhambra, the Albaicín and Sacromonte
One full day walking from the Nasrid palaces and the Generalife gardens down into the whitewashed lanes of the Albaicín, ending with sunset at San Nicolás and the cave quarter of Sacromonte.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 6 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
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Photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0City walk SpainCórdoba: The Mezquita, the River and the Judería
An easy day across the old heart of Córdoba — a great mosque with a cathedral inside it, a Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, a medieval Jewish quarter, a royal fortress and the flower-filled patios of San Basilio.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 4 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
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Photo: CarmelH1 · CC BY-SA 4.0City walk IsraelNimrod Fortress: A Muslim Stronghold on the Slopes of Hermon
A walk through the largest medieval fortress in Israel — the keep, a hidden staircase down to a secret cistern, the great towers and their Arabic inscriptions, strung along a knife-edge ridge with the Hula Valley spread out below.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 1.5 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
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Photo: SimonKing74 · CC0Trek MoroccoMount Toubkal — North Africa's Highest Summit
Two days from a Berber village to the roof of North Africa at 4,167 m — mule tracks, a blue-painted shrine, a mountain refuge, and a long scree climb to a summit that sees the Sahara.
- Duration
- 2 days
- Distance
- 30 km
- Difficulty
- Hard