Egypt’s prime minister has announced that this Thursday and Saturday will be paid days off for the public and private sectors on the occasions of the 49th anniversary of the 6 October War of 1973 and the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday respectively.
Egypt achieved victory in the October 1973 War against Israel, paving the way for the return of the occupied Sinai Peninsula to the homeland after a peace deal was signed with Israel.
The war eventually led to Israeli forces withdrawing from the Sinai Peninsula on 25 April 1982, after 15 years of occupation, based on a peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979.
The Prophet Mohammed’s birthday (aka Moulid Al-Nabi) is widely celebrated on 12 Rabi Al-Awal on the Islamic calendar, which falls this year on Saturday 8 October.