My Ramadan: a daily photo diary by Ammar Al Attar

Day 29- 'All set for Eid and preparation is going on for the first day; preparing sweets and also kids designing there hands with Henna. Ammar Al Attar for the National

Day 28 -’Any act in Ramadan that increase our good deeds to increase our rewards is inevitable. Such as giving our condolences for the our friends who looses there loved ones in Ramadan’. Ammar Al Attar for the National

Day 27 — ‘Ramadan concludes with visiting our family members where we show respect to our elderly and share the joy of Ramadan with them.’ Ammar Al Attar for the National

Day 26 — ‘The Imam recites the prayer at the end of Tarawih (extra evening prayers), and worshippers answer Allah with Ameen (truly or it is so)’. Ammar Al Attar for the National

Simply live by the adage - cut your coat according to your cloth. Ammar Al Attar / The National

Day 24 — ‘One of the main reasons Muslims fast during Ramadan is to train ourselves to resist the need for food to better understand the hunger and suffering that poor people experience every day’. Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 23 — ‘Men gather in a Majlis during a Ramadan night, and discuss various matters.’ - Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 22 — ‘During the last days of Ramadan Muslims try to finish reading the holy Quran, which in Arabic is called “Khatma”.’- Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 21 — ‘We are in the last 10 days of Ramadan where Muslims increase the praying at night, and spend more time in the mosque to get the most benefit out of these days.’ - Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 20 — ‘Dates are one of the important thing that we should start our breaking fast with, as our prophet Mohammed. “Peace be upon him” advices us, And we lucky that we are in the season of dates in UAE and we get from some friends farms and then spread it to others.’ Ammar Al Attar for the National

Day 19 — ‘The forms of prayer we can see in a prayer room when we sit and watch Muslims praying.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 18 — ‘During Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to share Iftar with other fasting Muslims. Thus, you might see people gathered together in parking lots, outside restaurants and mosques patiently awaiting sunset.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 17 — ‘Malls and shopping centres possess decorated entrances in colours and styles which coincide with the same patterns Ramadan. These structures and colourful facades attract customers for Ramadan special offers while also celebrating the holy the month of Ramadan.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 16 — ‘A few days before Eid, we travel to local shops in the old Sharjah souq to buy new traditional clothes for Eid.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 15 — ‘Ramadan is the month of giving. Lots of mosques set up a tent outside to give free food to workers, who come from around the area to break their fast with rice and Laban.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 14 — ‘Early this morning, people waiting for the call to start fasting in the grand mosque. Worshippers are trying to find a place to sit so they can pray or read The Quran.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 13 — ‘Worshippers from all over Makkah come to the Great Mosque for Friday prayers. They must arrive to the mosque before 11am to enjoy the Imam’s Friday sermon (Khutba) and those who arrive late are not allowed inside. To escape the heat and to still hear to the Imam’s sermon, worshippers can travel to any of the Mekkah malls where the sermon can be heard through the malls speaker systems.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 12 — ‘Ramadan is the month of The Quran. It’s the month where I spend endless hours reading in the mosque to learn its lessons.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 11 — ‘Today I waited for Iftar on the rooftop of The Grand Mosque in Makkah (Mecca). Iftar is a very spiritual experience as everyone gives one another food, Zamzam water (sourced from the holy Zamzam well within the mosque), and qahwa (Arabic coffee).’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 10 — ‘I’ve just arrived Makkah (Mecca) to perform Umra which is a pilgrimage to Makkah which can be taken at any time. I prefer to walk the streets of Makkah rather than drive a traffic increases during Ramadan. All pilgrims wear 2 pieces of white dress when going performing the Umra.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 9 — ‘Waiting for my sugarcane juice from this small Egyptian juice shop in Ajman. They sell many other special Ramadan drinks to refresh you after a long hot Ramadan day.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 8 — ‘After Prayer we sit and ask Allah for help and perform Doaa. These days during Ramadan it’s recommended for Muslims to increase their times in Doaa in this holy month.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 7 — ‘During Ramadan we enjoy traditional food at Iftar, but there are other aspects of staying healthy, like exercising before Iftar. Today in Khorfakkan many young and elderly people ran next to the open beach just before sunset.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 6 — ‘Every Friday during Ramadan, we gather at my Grandmother’s house where my family members bring food they’ve prepared. All of us sit on the floor and we share Iftar together.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 5 — ‘Most Indian and Pakistani restaurants sell deep fried samosas and pakoras during Ramadan. They’re available outside the restaurants to takeaway before Iftar for 2 hours, lots of people come to buy them.’ Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 4 'There is not much time between the call for breaking the fast and call for the Magreb Prayer. We should eat only dates and water to break our fast before praying, but we eat a little more. That's why you see people run to the mosque so they're not late for the prayer'. Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 3 — ‘Our office has makeshift prayer rooms set-up during Ramadan. In this picture my colleagues are performing the Duhr prayer. With the reduced working hours, the rooms are not used for all prayer times’. Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 2 — ‘The best part of Ramadan is after the sun sets when my family members gather at one table and share in the Iftar meal. Together we break our fast’. Ammar Al Attar for The National

Day 1 — ‘During the first few days of Ramadan, people (and I’m one of them) often go to the Union Coop supermarket to buy last minute food items before Iftar. Because they usually go at the same time, it can create queue build-up at the checkouts, as seen at this particular store in Dubai’. Ammar Al Attar for The National

During the holy month of Ramadan the Emirati photographer Ammar Al Attar will add one photograph to this gallery each day allowing you to experience Ramadan 1435 through his eyes as a kind of visual diary. Having regularly documented the daily experiences of a Muslim practicing Islam with such projects as Prayer Rooms, Ammar will give you a first-person perspective on fasting and feasting, family and friends, prayer and meditation as well as the modern commercial and corporate take on the holy month.

For more information on Ammar Al Attar take a look at his website here