UPDATE: Ministries and other government departments, agencies and public institutions will be closed starting Thursday, Aug. 16 until Aug. 27, the Emiri Diwan has announced.

So if you’ve got paperwork to sort out, time’s running out!

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Ramadan officially began on the evening of Thursday, July 19, 2012 in the lunar calendar, making Friday, July 20 the first day of fasting.

The month runs for either 29 or 30 days, which means that either Friday, August 17 or Saturday, August 18 will be the last day of Ramadan, and the last day of fasting, depending on when the new moon is sighted.

That also means that the Eid al-Fitr holiday after Ramadan will either begin on Saturday, August 18 or Sunday, August 19.

Credit: Photo by KK+ (via Creative Commons Qatar)