Turks welcome the holy month of Ramadan by decorating their mosques all over Turkey, as 89,000 mosques are lit up from sunset until dawn to celebrate Ramadan with lights called mahya, held in Sultanahmet area in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey. The holy month is characterized by a boom in trade, therefore, the Turkish people buy their needs of goods, food and favorite Ramadan sweets, just as other families do in most Islamic countries.

Neighborhoods and shops in Istanbul are witnessing remarkable activity on Ramadan, as shop owners adorn their shops with decorations, and merchants take advantage of the fasting season to import dates and manufacture well-known Turkish Ramadan sweets.  In this regard, the official at the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs in Istanbul Ekmeleddin Mehmet Ihsanoglu said in a statement to KUNA Thursday that Ramadan in Turkey is characterized by its wonderful atmosphere and is an occasion for celebration, gathering and carrying out various activities.

One of the things Turks do during Ramadan is to go perform Tarawih prayers after eating, while in the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul on the first day of the holy month, the Tarawih prayer was done for the first time in 88 years. For two years, Tarawih prayers were prohibited as part of measures to confront the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is reported that one of the ways to wake people in Turkey at dawn is by beating the drums in the streets and neighborhoods while people are dressed in traditional costumes and singing Turkish songs. - KUNA