The crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, has been sighted in Saudi Arabia, authorities have announced.

Therefore, today, April 1, is the last day of the month of Shaaban, and the holy month will begin on Saturday, April 2.

UAE's moon-sighting committee had earlier announced it would meet after the Maghreb prayer at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to indicate the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

The committee had said it would meet under the chairmanship of Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, along with a number of senior officials.