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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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Ramadan 2024: Why taraweeh prayers are special for UAE worshippers