MAHYA

It is an established and unique Ottoman tradition to illuminate the minarets of mosques during Ramadan nights, displaying glittering messages and beautiful designs.

DRUMMERS

Dressed in traditional outfits, Ramadan drummers gear up to resume the ancient tradition of waking residents for the suhoor meal before dawn while reciting short poems about the holy month.

PIDE

Made with flour, yeast, sugar, milk, oil and water, long queues of customers wait in front of bakeries before the iftar meal to buy the special Turkish flatbread often associated with Ramadan.

BREAD ON A HOOK

This Ottoman tradition inspired by Islamic practices encourages people to “pay it forward” at local bakeries so that the needy can access free bread.

TROUGH FAST

To make fasting easier on young ones, small children were allowed to break their fast at noon or secretly eat behind bread troughs before resuming their fasts. Children fasting for the first time also receive gifts.

KARAGOZ-HACIVAT

A popular traditional shadow puppet theatre that served as a form of entertainment, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

TOOTH RENT

This gift-giving tradition involves hosting iftar dinners in mansions and palaces and handing out expensive gifts to guests: silver plates, amber rosaries, precious stones, silver rings and gold coins wrapped in velvet bags.

MUQABALA

A comparative recitation of the holy Quran remains an enduring tradition associated with Ramadan. In Ottoman Istanbul, Muqabala performances in mosques commenced 15 days before Ramadan.

HUZUR DEBATES

Ottoman sultans held “Huzur-i Humayun” lectures in the Topkapi Palace during Ramadan. Muslim scholars interpreted various Quranic verses and took questions from students and other audience members with complete scholarly freedom.