Suhur

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on March 11, as the faithful prepared for a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting in which Muslims will refrain from eating or drinking anything.

Many will strictly observe prayers, read the Quran and donate to charity as they seek to draw closer to God. Family and friends will gather for joyful nightly feasts for the next 30 days.

With flowing kaftans, fluid separates and glamorous maxi dresses, Western luxury fashion brands are increasingly targeting the monied Middle Eastern market with Ramadan capsule collections.

Nun Schools, a prominent education center located in Istanbul, is organizing the third edition of its international photography competition this year.

The event invites primary, middle and high school students from all over the world to capture the spirit of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month currently being observed.

The municipality of the northwestern province of Tekirdağ's Süleymanpaşa district on April 3 set up a kilometer-long chain of tables where some 4,000 residents broker their fast together.

The municipality called the Ramadan event "Table of hearts."

Azerbaijan has changed the country's Ramadan timetable with Iran to set it in compliance with Turkey this year, according to Turkish media reports.

"This is a first and an interesting development," said Ramin Sadık, an Azerbaijani historian.

Ramadan begins on April 2 with the first sahur, a meal before dawn, in Turkey and on April 3 in Iran.

Azerbaijan has changed the country's Ramadan timetable with Iran to set it in compliance with Turkey this year, according to Turkish media reports.

"This is a first and an interesting development," said Ramin Sadık, an Azerbaijani historian.

Ramadan begins on April 2 with the first sahur, a meal before dawn, in Turkey and on April 3 in Iran.

A man thought to be a foreign national living in Istanbul's Şişli district has attacked a Ramadan drummer with a knife and "stabbed the drum" after a short chase.

Every year, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, thousands of drummers take to the streets of Turkey in the dark of night.

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.

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.

The holy month of Ramadan in Turkey has begun under stricter measures designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The country last year also took similar measures in the face of the outbreak.