Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is set to give a speech on Wednesday during a gathering at Al-Azhar conference center in Nasr city to mark the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birth (Moulid El-Nabi), which Egyptians will celebrate on Thursday. Egypt's Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayyeb will also give speeches on the occasion. The Egyptian cabinet issued a decree on Monday declaring this year's Moulid El-Nabi a public holiday. Friday will be the first day of the third Islamic month, Rabei Al-Awwal, thus making the 12th of the month –- the day the Prophet was born -– Moulid El-Nabi. The Islamic year is based on a lunar system with months lasting for 30 or 29 days, making the Islamic year shorter than years based on the Gregorian calendar. The Prophet's birthday is a holiday widely celebrated across Egypt and the Islamic world. In Egypt, colourful displays typically cover the sides of sweets shops and bakeries as sweets shaped like horses and dolls are sold and consumed to celebrate the anniversary.
