Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Saudi Arabia Denies September 22 Public Holiday Rumour

Sources: ArabianBusiness.com and Saudi Arabia public holidays. The Ministry of Civil Service of Saudi Arabia has issued an official announcement to state that Saturday, September 22, 2007, would not be a public holiday.

Background: Since 2005, September 23, is observed as the National Day public holiday in Saudi Arabia. This year, the date occurs on a Sunday and this lead to widespread speculation (or wishful thinking, as it were) that Saturday, September 22, 2007, would be declared a one-off bridge public holiday to create a 4-day holiday (recall that, in Saudi Arabia, despite recent hesitations, the weekends are still Thursdays and Fridays).

It is, however, not recommended to try to conduct any type of business with the civil service on Saturday, September 22, 2007, as many civil servants will take the day off, regardless of the official status of that day.