View of part of the Fujairah Corniche and the Hajar Mountains in the Background

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Look Back on Ramadan in the Emirates

The Gulf News has a superb photographic gallery displaying the way Ramadan has been celebrated down through the years in the UAE.

These old photographs depict Ramadan as a time that is rich in tradition and memories.

Ramadan is revealed as a season for Suhoor (the light meal before sunrise), fasting, prayer, shopping, special Iftar food, the firing of a canon to signal the end of fasting, eating dates and drinking water or milk to break the fast, Iftar tents, hospitality to the needy, families and communities coming together, the crescent moon and shisha tents.

View the gallery at this link:
Ramadan in the UAE through the Years, Gulf News.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Following the tradition of the prophet Mohammed, dates are recommended as a way to break the Ramadan fast, to provide a sugar fix and prepare the body for the Iftar meal. (One of the photographs from the Ramadan archive, courtesy of Gulf News)