Muslim holiday
Mawlid al-Nabi 2027
The Prophet’s birthday around 14 August 2027: lit streets, sweets and processions in Morocco, Jordan and the Galilee.
14 August 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
Mawlid celebrates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on 12 Rabi al-Awwal. Mosques and homes are lit, poems in praise of the Prophet are recited, and families share sweets. Not all Muslims mark it, and Saudi Arabia does not keep it as a public holiday.
In Morocco the evening before is the Moussem of the Candles in Salé, a procession of giant wax lanterns. In 2027 the holiday falls in mid-August, so the walking that suits it is high and early: the Atlas, and Petra at dawn.
What you will see on the routes
- Mount Toubkal — North Africa's Highest Summit
August is peak season on Toubkal, and the cool air of the high Atlas is the best escape from Marrakech’s heat over the holiday.
- Petra on Foot: The Siq, the Treasury and the Monastery
August in Petra means 35 °C by midday: enter at opening time, walk the Siq to the Treasury and climb to the Monastery before ten.
- Old City of Acre: Crusaders, Khans and the Sea Walls
Akko’s mosques are decorated for Mawlid and the old city’s summer evenings by the sea walls are at their best.
- Jerusalem: A Walk Through the Old City's Four Quarters
Mawlid evenings bring lights and gatherings to the Muslim Quarter. Walk the route early in the morning: August afternoons in the Old City are hot.
How it changes travel
- A public holiday in Morocco, Jordan, Egypt and several Gulf states; banks and offices close, most shops and sites stay open.
- Mid-August is the high season for European visitors in Morocco and southern Spain, and heat is the bigger constraint on walking than the holiday.
Travel window: 13 to 15 August 2027. One day off in Morocco, Jordan and Egypt, in the middle of the European summer holidays.
Offers
On 11 October 2026 we found no published offers tied to Mawlid 2027. The routes below are a good place to start.
Browse the routes for this holidayRoutes in this guide
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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
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Photo: Azurfrog · CC BY-SA 3.0Trek JordanPetra on Foot: The Siq, the Treasury and the Monastery
A long, rewarding day walking into the Nabataean rose-red city — through the Siq to the Treasury, past the Royal Tombs, and up 800 steps to the Monastery.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 14 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
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Photo: israeltourism from Israel · CC BY 2.0City walk IsraelOld City of Acre: Crusaders, Khans and the Sea Walls
One easy day inside a walled port city where a Crusader fortress hides underground beneath an Ottoman capital, ringed by sea walls that stopped Napoleon.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 2 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
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Photo: Edmund Gall · CC BY-SA 2.0City walk IsraelJerusalem: A Walk Through the Old City's Four Quarters
One day on foot through a single square kilometre that is holy to half the world — the Armenian, Jewish, Muslim and Christian Quarters, the Western Wall, the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 4 km
- Difficulty
- Easy