Your memories Anissa brought to mind my first Ramadan in Abu Dabi, UAE, back in the early 1990s.
Even then Abu Dhabi was a very modern city, with a grid layout, high-rises and all the other infrastructure benefits that oil wealth brings to a developing nation, along with the vehicular traffic!
That first sunset I set out on my daily walk and the silence was noticeable, with everybody headed back to their homes, yet around the back of the ADIA building were laid mats on the ground, with many males sitting cross legged.
Then the food was brought from an adjacent mosque and placed on the mats before the sitting men.
BOOM, BOOM was heard from the Ramadan cannon and gently the participants reached forward for the food and drinks, primarily laban, and the serious business of breaking the fast took place, not in a gluttonous manner, but very much to reawaken the appetite.
Meanwhile, the call to prayer rang around this modern city from innumerable mosques.
FYI ADIA is the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and today is the second largest Sovereign Wealth Fund, behind Norway, in the world, so it literally represents peak capitalism, but for those few minutes of Iftar, religion was the unifier across the wealth divide with fund managers sharing with road sweepers!
What a lovely scene. Thank you for telling me about it and it’s exactly right, breaking the fast is never gluttonous. I am always impressed at how gently everyone, rich or poor, starts eating once they break their fast
Thanks for this, Anissa, a wonderful rapid tour of the Ramadan world.
you are welcome Nancy...
I loved reading this. I really want to visit these places at some point in my life - if anything, to try the food! And I love your books!
Thank you Valentina. I also love your photos and writing. Will let you know when I organise a culinary trip to Syria.
Your memories Anissa brought to mind my first Ramadan in Abu Dabi, UAE, back in the early 1990s.
Even then Abu Dhabi was a very modern city, with a grid layout, high-rises and all the other infrastructure benefits that oil wealth brings to a developing nation, along with the vehicular traffic!
That first sunset I set out on my daily walk and the silence was noticeable, with everybody headed back to their homes, yet around the back of the ADIA building were laid mats on the ground, with many males sitting cross legged.
Then the food was brought from an adjacent mosque and placed on the mats before the sitting men.
BOOM, BOOM was heard from the Ramadan cannon and gently the participants reached forward for the food and drinks, primarily laban, and the serious business of breaking the fast took place, not in a gluttonous manner, but very much to reawaken the appetite.
Meanwhile, the call to prayer rang around this modern city from innumerable mosques.
FYI ADIA is the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and today is the second largest Sovereign Wealth Fund, behind Norway, in the world, so it literally represents peak capitalism, but for those few minutes of Iftar, religion was the unifier across the wealth divide with fund managers sharing with road sweepers!
What a lovely scene. Thank you for telling me about it and it’s exactly right, breaking the fast is never gluttonous. I am always impressed at how gently everyone, rich or poor, starts eating once they break their fast
I have your book on my shelf and pull it out every Ramadan. It is fantastic and takes me around the world!