Oman, India and Pakistan among countries to start Ramadan on Sunday

Moon sighted on Indian subcontinent to herald start of holy month

The chairman of a moon-sighting committee points a telescope at the skies in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA

Muslims in Oman, India and Pakistan will be among those marking the start of Ramadan on Sunday, a day after the holy month began in other countries including the UAE.

The beginning of Ramadan depends on when the crescent moon is sighted by religious officials, meaning there is more than one possible start date.

The crescent was spotted on Saturday in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, media in those countries said, heralding the start of Ramadan on Sunday.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt and Yemen had sighted the Moon on Friday, meaning Ramadan started on Saturday.

But a Moon-sighting committee in Oman did not spot the crescent in time for a Saturday start, meaning Ramadan will start on Sunday, said the country’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs.

Shoppers flock to a textile market in the north Indian city of Srinagar days before Eid Al Fitr, the festival that ends the month of fasting. AFP

An iftar gathering at Sunahri Mosque in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar. AP

A young worshipper waits to break his day-long fast in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. AP

Afghans line up to receive ration aid donated by the Chinese government during Ramadan, in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA

Children play at the Sarkhej Roza complex in Ahmedabad, India, during Ramadan. AFP

A family takes a selfie as they wait to board a free bus, sponsored by Indonesia's Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, to their home village in Central Java. AP

Muslim protesters gather to eat iftar in front of the president's secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka. EPA

The Jama Masjid mosque in Allahabad. AFP

People head to the railway station in Dhaka to buy train tickets ahead of Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. AFP

People shop ahead of Eid Al Fitr in Karachi, Pakistan. EPA

A man prays on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar. Reuters

Bangladeshi Muslim students read the Quran in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

Reading the Quran during Ramadan is considered a rewarding act by Muslims, such as this man at a mosque in Pakistan's northern city of Peshawar. EPA

Egyptian confectioner Mostafa Anwar makes a traditional oriental dessert called 'Kunafa' in Cairo. AFP

The faithful break their fast during Ramadan in Colombo, Sri Lanka. AFP

Muslims break their Ramadan fast at an open iftar outside the Royal Albert Hall in London. Reuters

Iftar spread is laid out at Jama Masjid in the old quarters of New Delhi, India. EPA

A young worshipper at Jama Masjid in the old quarters of New Delhi, India. AFP

Orphans read copies of the Quran at the Majamma Nuruljinan in Pattani, southern Thailand. AFP

A volunteer prepares iftar food at a shrine in Dhaka, Bangladesh. AFP

Muslims break their fast at the Shah-E-Alam shrine in Ahmedabad, India. AFP

A worker in Lahore, Pakistan, dries vermicelli used to make a traditional sweet dish popular during Ramadan. EPA

Lorry drivers pray before breaking their fast in Lahore, Pakistan. AP

Women offer prayers during the first Friday of Ramadan at the historic Badshahi mosque, in Lahore, Pakistan. AP

Men attend the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA

A man prepares food for devotees to end their fast at the Jama-e-Masjid Aiwan in Hyderabad, India. AFP

Muslims leave after offering first Friday prayers at the Badshahi mosque. AP

Muslim girls read the Quran before the start of the Friday prayers at the Jamia mosque in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters

A man looks through a sunshade tent erected for worshippers in the compound of Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India. AP

People attend the first Friday prayers of Ramadan in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA

Bangladeshi Muslims visit the mosque after attending Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan at a Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

Workers fry sweets at a traditional confectionery shop in the Afghan capital Kabul. AFP

A young girl enjoys a great view of evening prayer at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP

A Muslim shopkeeper selling hijabs waits to have his iftar meal during the holy month in a street market in Mumbai. Reuters

Blind Muslims read the Quran in braille in Medan, Indonesia, during the holy month. AFP

A Muslim places food for people to break their fast on a roadside in Karachi, Pakistan. EPA

A worker prepares vermicelli, used to make traditional sweet dishes popularly consumed throughout Ramadan, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. AFP

Women gather for prayer at a mosque in Narathiwat, Thailand. AFP

An Indian worker stacks vermicelli at a factory in Allahabad, India. AFP

Sugary drinks are prepared for iftar in Karachi, Pakistan. EPA

Preparation for iftar is under way at a mosque in Kolkata, eastern India. EPA

A woman reads the Quran as she waits for iftar at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA

Jordan likewise announced that Saturday would be the last day of the preceding month of Shaban, and that Ramadan would start on Sunday.

Indonesia’s religious affairs minister made the same ruling, despite one of the country’s largest Islamic groups, Muhammadiyah, saying its calculations suggested a Saturday start.

The first day of Ramadan in Yemen coincides with the start of a planned two-month ceasefire that was welcomed with cautious optimism.

There are hopes for a return to normality after two successive years in which Ramadan was marked under the cloud of coronavirus restrictions in many countries.