DAMMAM, 15 December — Authorities in the Kingdom are giving final touches to preparations to Eid Al-Fitr celebrations, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The Supreme Judiciary Council announced last night that Ramadan would end today and the Eid Al-Fitr feast begin tomorrow.

Authorities had asked the faithful to search the skies from dusk yesterday for the crescent moon marking the end of the fasting month. But no one had reported sighting the moon well after nightfall and the council has announced that Eid will be celebrated tomorrow after the completion of 30 days of fasting.

Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates issued statements saying the Eid Al-Fitr feast would begin tomorrow.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has identified a number of open grounds and mosques for Eid prayers in Jeddah.

They include the main prayer grounds at the Old Airport, Kilo 2, Al-Jamiah, Muhammadiah, Umm Al-Selam on the Makkah Road, Kilo 10 on the Makkah Road, Southern Iskan, Al-Qurayat, Al-Bawadi, Al-Faisaliah, Briman, Al-Samir district east of the express way and Al-Ahli and Ittihad clubs.

In Riyadh, Eid prayers will be performed in 20 open grounds and 315 mosques, according to an announcement of the Riyadh branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. Alternative arrangements have been at nearest mosques to the prayer grounds in case of rainfall or extreme cold winds.

In the Eastern Province, several Eid prayer sites have been prepared in the cities of Dammam, Alkhobar, Dhahran, Sihat, Qatif, Ahsa, Jubail and Khafji. This is in addition to mosques in these cities, where hundreds and thousands of Muslims will attend Eid congregations.

The municipality has prepared a contingency plan in the event of rain. The sky has been overcast for the past two days and the weather department has forecast rains in the next 24 hours.

Thousands of visitors are expected to arrive in the city in the next 48 hours from Riyadh, neighboring Bahrain and elsewhere in the GCC states.

Normally most of the shops in Dammam and Alkhobar are closed during the Eid, but this year most will remain open in the evenings.

Several shopping malls in the city have prepared special programs, as have King Fahd Park and Prince Muhammad Park at the Half Moon. Many other amusement centers in the twin cities have similarly made special arrangements for Eid celebrations and the hotel industry is offering special Eid packages and menus.

In Riyadh, the Marriott Hotel has announced plans to mark the Eid with fanfare. It will also have special Eid buffets at its Al-Naseem Restaurant.

The Coast Guard will keep a continuous vigil around the beach area and have warned visitors to avoid going into the deep waters.

Meanwhile, the markets in Dammam and Alkhobar experience low sales right until the end of Ramadan.

Until yesterday, shopkeepers in Dammam and Alkhobar said that the turnout of shoppers was shockingly low.