Estehlal_Headquarters
Estehlal Headquarters (Persian: ستاد استهلال, romanised: Setade Estehlal) is an organization and command post based in Iran,[1][2][3] that deploys groups to monitor the sky and identify the crescent of the moon[4][5] on the first night(s)[6] of the Lunar month,[7] as per the Islamic tradition of Estehlal. This is undertaken to mark the first day of each month in the lunar calendar.[8] Estehlal Headquarters[9][10] was established by the decree of Iran's supreme leader, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, to regulate the practice of Estehlal.[11][12] The Center consists of 150 groups[13][14][15] with 700 members.[16][17]