Experience the magic of Ramadan in Turkey. Fewer than two weeks remain in Ramadan, the month of daytime fasting, evening merriment and serious self-reflection for Muslims.
For tourists and locals alike, it is quite an adjustment as Ramadan is unlike any other time of the year in Turkey.
For some, it is a time spent with family and friends. For others, the month offers a clean slate to start anew. And for Muslims, the month is a special period dedicated to developing one’s relationship with God, but no matter what aspect of Ramadan stays with one the most — the impressive array of festivities, the brilliant show of culture or the spiritual coming together of communities — most will agree that Ramadan in Turkey is an experience that is not forgotten.
Ramadan, or “Ramazan” in Turkish, is more than just a month of fasting for Muslims. Though fasting, in which nothing passes the lips between sunrise and sunset, is integral to this special month, so are self-reflection, solidarity and celebration.
Having begun this year at the start of a sweltering August, there are now fewer than two weeks remaining in Ramadan, the month of daytime fasting, evening merriment and giving back to those in need. For tourists and locals alike, it is quite an adjustment as Ramadan is unlike any other time of the year in Turkey. For some, it is a time spent with family and friends. For others, the month offers a clean slate to start anew.
And for Muslims, the month is a special period dedicated to developing one’s relationship with God, but no matter what aspect of Ramadan stays with one the most — the impressive array of festivities, the brilliant show of culture or the spiritual coming together of communities — most will agree that Ramadan in Turkey is an experience that is not forgotten.
Though considered to be one of the holiest times of the year, Ramadan is not restricted to mosques. Wherever one walks, signs of the holy month can be felt, heard, seen, tasted and smelled across Turkey.
Whether one chooses to dine with strangers who are soon-to-be friends in iftar (fast-breaking) tents, to mosey down the lane of colorful shops and festivities of Sultanahmet Square in İstanbul, or to recite the Quran in the even busier mosques, there is something magical and yet tangible about the spirit that sweeps Turkey during the “Sultan of the other 11 months.” To put simply, Turkey in Ramadan is truly a different experience of Turkey.
People journey from all over the world to celebrate the unique festivities of Ramadan every year in Turkey. Visitors sit in Sultanahmet Square and witness the unparalleled view of lit-up mosques, cascading fountains and the general hubbub around them. Families and people of all ages flock to the square to picnic on the cool grass among the trees and historic sites. Here, families enjoy traditional iftar dinners of veggies, fruits, olives and flaky, buttery pastries called börek.
Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Quran during Ramadan. Some recite a section of the Quran in special prayers (Tarawih)held every night in the mosques. People can be found reading the Quran at all times of day in the mosques, but especially before iftar.
Workers at a coal mine in Zonguldak eat sahur (pre-dawn meal) together several meters beneath the earth’s surface. One of the coal miners recited the call to prayer and the men, their hands and bodies blackened, enjoyed their meal of grapes, watermelon, bread and canned food.
In Turkey, the arrival of Ramadan is easily noticed by the snaking lines in front of bakeries and the tempting aroma of “pide” floating into the streets. More than 25 million loaves of this large flatbread were baked in Turkey on the first day of the holy month this year.
Every night, tents are set up across Turkey to serve iftar to the public, free of charge. Foreigners and locals, Muslims and non-Muslims wait in line for hours, stomachs grumbling but happy to be part of a community. The Üsküdar iftar tent — the first established in all of Turkey in 1994 — serves an average of 24,000 people per day.
The line is always long at Sultanahmet Köftecisi, one of the oldest establishments in İstanbul. But a visit during Ramadan confirms the seemingly impossible – the line can indeed grow longer. According to the restaurant, an average of 1,000 people are fed iftar each evening.
In stands set up in Sultanahmet Square, hand-crafted artwork and enticing delicacies unique to Turkey beckon passers-by to pause for a closer look. Tourists and locals alike are seduced by the towering pyramids of baklava, colorful mounds of dense Turkish ice cream and rich batches of kadayıf.
Others, like this group of young men, opt to stay near the coast of İstanbul’s Üsküdar district and gaze upon the magnificent sight of the legendary Kız Kulesi (the Maiden’s Tower) while listening to the lapping waves of the Bosporus during their iftar dinners. (ALYSON NEEL, Zaman)
