• Worshippers at Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. AP Photo
    Worshippers at Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. AP Photo
  • Stores in the Khan Al Khalili bazaar in Cairo, Egypt, during the first week of Ramadan. Bloomberg
    Stores in the Khan Al Khalili bazaar in Cairo, Egypt, during the first week of Ramadan. Bloomberg
  • A drummer sounds the wake-up call for residents of the Old City of Mosul, in northern Iraq, before the start of the day's fast. Reuters
    A drummer sounds the wake-up call for residents of the Old City of Mosul, in northern Iraq, before the start of the day's fast. Reuters
  • Volunteers prepare food for displaced people to break their fast in Al Qadarif, eastern Sudan. The country is experiencing its second consecutive Ramadan in the grip of conflict. AFP
    Volunteers prepare food for displaced people to break their fast in Al Qadarif, eastern Sudan. The country is experiencing its second consecutive Ramadan in the grip of conflict. AFP
  • A woman offers first Friday noon prayers of Ramadan near the Dome of the Rock shrine, at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. AFP
    A woman offers first Friday noon prayers of Ramadan near the Dome of the Rock shrine, at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. AFP
  • First Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab mosque in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    First Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab mosque in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Restaurant staff sell Subcontinent street food to patrons on the streets of Bur Dubai as Iftar approaches. Antonie Robertson/The National
    Restaurant staff sell Subcontinent street food to patrons on the streets of Bur Dubai as Iftar approaches. Antonie Robertson/The National
  • A cleric guides Iraqi devotees as they perform an evening prayer known as 'Tarawih' at the Mohammed Amin mosque near Mosul. AFP
    A cleric guides Iraqi devotees as they perform an evening prayer known as 'Tarawih' at the Mohammed Amin mosque near Mosul. AFP
  • Decorations adorn the streets of the Iraqi southern city of Basra ahead of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP
    Decorations adorn the streets of the Iraqi southern city of Basra ahead of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP
  • Saudi men look to spot the first crescent of the moon marking the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in the southern Saudi city of Hautat Sudair. AFP
    Saudi men look to spot the first crescent of the moon marking the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in the southern Saudi city of Hautat Sudair. AFP
  • First Ramadan Iftar at the The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The mosque is named after Umar bin Al Khattab, a companion of The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who became the second Caliph after Abu Bakr and was given the title Al Farooq, meaning someone who distinguished truth from falsehood. Antonie Robertson/The National
    First Ramadan Iftar at the The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The mosque is named after Umar bin Al Khattab, a companion of The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who became the second Caliph after Abu Bakr and was given the title Al Farooq, meaning someone who distinguished truth from falsehood. Antonie Robertson/The National
  • Palestinians break their fast amid the rubble of their destroyed home during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters
    Palestinians break their fast amid the rubble of their destroyed home during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters
  • Volunteers cook together portions of the traditional Libyan dish "Bazin", which consists of a dough made with barley, water, and salt in the coastal city of Tajura east of Tripoli, to be distributed to needy families during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP
    Volunteers cook together portions of the traditional Libyan dish "Bazin", which consists of a dough made with barley, water, and salt in the coastal city of Tajura east of Tripoli, to be distributed to needy families during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP
  • Volunteers prepare to distribute Iftar meals to internally displaced people who fled from their border villages due to ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at a school turned into shelter, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Reuters
    Volunteers prepare to distribute Iftar meals to internally displaced people who fled from their border villages due to ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at a school turned into shelter, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Reuters
  • People shop for decorations for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at a shop in Beirut, Lebanon. AP
    People shop for decorations for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at a shop in Beirut, Lebanon. AP
  • Palestinians share an iftar meal, the breaking of fast, on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, at a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
    Palestinians share an iftar meal, the breaking of fast, on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, at a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
  • Residents queue outside the iftar tent set up by Emirates Red Crescent and Oxy beside the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. Victor Besa / The National
    Residents queue outside the iftar tent set up by Emirates Red Crescent and Oxy beside the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. Victor Besa / The National
  • Mohammed El-Dahshan, a 39-year-old "Mesaharati," or dawn caller, rides his camel wrapped with colored led lights to wake Muslims up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Delta city of Dikernis, Egypt, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) north of Cairo, early Thursday, March 14, 2024. Each night, El-Dahshan, sets out after midnight with his camel banging his drum, chanting traditional religious phrases and calling out on residents by name to wake them in time for the vital pre-dawn meal known as "Suhoor". (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)
    Mohammed El-Dahshan, a 39-year-old "Mesaharati," or dawn caller, rides his camel wrapped with colored led lights to wake Muslims up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Delta city of Dikernis, Egypt, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) north of Cairo, early Thursday, March 14, 2024. Each night, El-Dahshan, sets out after midnight with his camel banging his drum, chanting traditional religious phrases and calling out on residents by name to wake them in time for the vital pre-dawn meal known as "Suhoor". (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)
  • Egyptians perform an evening prayer known as 'Tarawih' on the eve of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at Cairo's historic mosque of Amr Ibn al-Aas. AFP
    Egyptians perform an evening prayer known as 'Tarawih' on the eve of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at Cairo's historic mosque of Amr Ibn al-Aas. AFP
  • Iftar at Imam Hussein Mosque also known as Iranian Mosque in Al Satwa, Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National
    Iftar at Imam Hussein Mosque also known as Iranian Mosque in Al Satwa, Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National
  • First Ramadan Morning Prayer at the The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The mosque is named after Umar bin Al Khattab, a companion of The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who became the second Caliph after Abu Bakr and was given the title Al Farooq, meaning someone who distinguished truth from falsehood. Antonie Robertson/The National
    First Ramadan Morning Prayer at the The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The mosque is named after Umar bin Al Khattab, a companion of The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who became the second Caliph after Abu Bakr and was given the title Al Farooq, meaning someone who distinguished truth from falsehood. Antonie Robertson/The National
  • A boy plays with his toys outside the iftar tent set up by Emirates Red Crescent and Oxy beside the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. Victor Besa / The National
    A boy plays with his toys outside the iftar tent set up by Emirates Red Crescent and Oxy beside the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. Victor Besa / The National
  • Palestinian man Ismail Al-Khlout reads the Koran as he waits to break his fast while sitting on the rubble of his house, which was destroyed during Israel's military offensive as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
    Palestinian man Ismail Al-Khlout reads the Koran as he waits to break his fast while sitting on the rubble of his house, which was destroyed during Israel's military offensive as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
  • Muslims offering taraweeh prayers at Al Noor mosque in Sharjah. 11th March 2024 Photo Credit:Ahmed Ramzan for The National
    Muslims offering taraweeh prayers at Al Noor mosque in Sharjah. 11th March 2024 Photo Credit:Ahmed Ramzan for The National
  • A sells cotton candy for iftar (breaking of the fast) on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in the northern Syrian city of Al-Bab. AFP
    A sells cotton candy for iftar (breaking of the fast) on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in the northern Syrian city of Al-Bab. AFP
  • A cannon at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is fired to mark the end of the day's fasting. Victor Besa / The National
    A cannon at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is fired to mark the end of the day's fasting. Victor Besa / The National

MENA

The first week of Ramadan across the Middle East - in pictures

This year's celebrations are more muted as people show solidarity with those suffering in Gaza

The National

March 15, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

More from The National:

How to donate to Ramadan campaigns in UAE providing emergency relief to Gaza

A Closer Look: Who is behind the UAE's free iftar meals this Ramadan?

Gaza aid ship, US TikTok ban and a nova explosion – Trending

Ramadan 2024: Why taraweeh prayers are special for UAE worshippers

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Updated: March 15, 2024, 4:38 PM
Ramadan 2026