Ramadan

In Turkey's metropolitan province of Istanbul, drummers dressed in Ottoman-style attires have been keeping the age-old tradition of Ramadan alive for centuries of beating their drums in the wee hours of the morning to wake residents for their "sahur" meal, the first meal of the day eaten before observing the fast.

Surging coronavirus cases in many parts of the world overshadowed the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on April 13, with festivities curtailed by contagion fears.

The holy fasting month of Ramadan has begun with Muslims from all over the world observing the fast under the shadow of the pandemic.

Turkish miners in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak have also marked the start of Ramadan by having a "sahur," a pre-dawn meal before starting the fast, 250 meters below ground.

Muslims around the world are celebrating Ramadan this month by reading the Quran, praying, fasting and doing good works.

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims. This year, Ramadan will begin in the evening of Monday, April 12, and ends in the evening of Wednesday, May 12.

Almost 2 million Muslims observe Ramadan.

Only hours before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, mahyas were hung in significant mosques of Turkey's northwest cities such as Istanbul, Edirne and Bursa, which once served as Ottoman capitals.

Turkey's General Directorate of Foundations continued the hundreds of year old tradition of hanging mahyas to significant mosques this year as well.

Turkey's government is weighing options, including a shutdown, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in the face of a surge in daily coronavirus cases that have recently climbed to record highs.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on April 7 that the country wants a significant reduction in the number of coronavirus cases by the end of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.

"We aim to give a rest to our country during Ramadan and prepare it for better days after the Eid," he said while speaking at the AKP's provincial heads' meeting in Ankara.

Experts are expecting the daily number of COVID-19 cases to further rise in the coming weeks, probably hitting somewhere between 50,000 to 60,000 infections before starting to decline.

Since the start of April, Turkey has been logging more than 40,000 daily cases, prompting the government to reintroduce full weekend lockdowns in very-high-risk provinces.

A master locksmith continues his artistic work in a Turkish UNESCO World Heritage city during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Safranbolu district of Karabük is a typical Ottoman city in northern Turkey that has protected historic Turkish architectural character.

The architecture influenced urban development throughout much of the Ottoman Empire.

A group of friends who live in Turkey's different cities and are unable to get together due to the novel coronavirus outbreak have met during an online iftar dinner, breaking their fasts together.

From canceled iftar feasts to suspended mosque prayers, Muslims across the world are weathering a solitary month of Ramadan, fasting as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic lingers.